Changing Fate
by RavenCurls
Summary: A green girl with a knack for sorcery. A prince who knows who he wants. Will Elphaba still end up in that fateful meeting with the Wizard? Or will it be a happily ever after.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer : I am just very obessed with Wicked fanfic. Please R & R! :)**

Elphaba Thropp stood among a crowd of fifty or so. They were all milling around, waiting for the speech to start. She held, in her hand, as many other people around her did, a piece of paper, stating the time and venue (this place) for a rally. An anti-wizard rally.

She knew it was foolhardy to come. After all, they are in Shiz, a University that openly supported the Wizard and the laws that he had passed. Madame Morrible could swop down any moment with her team of security guards and arrested all of them.

But she was curious.

Just as she was beginning to get bored, a tall lanky student whom she recognized from one of the senior classes jumped onto what was his makeshift stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you here to listen to latest news. As we all know, the wizard had recently announced that all Animals should be removed from their professions, and should be reduce to their 'rightful'", he wiggled his two fingers of both hands to indicate quotation, "positions."

"Did I miss anything?" A familiar voice spoke next to her. She looked up and looked at the boy next to her. He was one head taller than her (and she was considered tall for a girl), with blonde hair and the most beautiful blue eyes (with long eyelashes) that she had ever seen. Add on his handsome features that, more often than not, carried a genuine smile, a royal title, and a love for partying, and there it was, Prince Fiyero Tiggular, the most scandalicious boy in Shiz.

"No, he had just started," she told him, as the two of them turned their attention to the crowd.

The speaker continued. "Obviously he had not seen how much we work hand in hand with the Animals. They worked as teachers." Chants of "Doctor Dillamond" went up. "They worked as nurses, drivers. I even heard that he had one or two of them in his offices!"

The audience jeered at the wizard's double standards.

"If they had been working among us for so long without been exposed as fraudulent, why is there a sudden law that said that they are just animals, rather than the same level as humans?"

More cheers.

"And do you know what have I heard this morning? I heard that Vinkus, even backward, tribal Vinkus, had spoken up against this newest rule. The Council of Vinkus had announced that they will not impose banns of any kind."

Loud cheering erupted, together with chants of "Vinkus! Vinkus!"

"Is it true?" Elphaba asked Fiyero.

He nodded his head. "The Council announced it yesterday," he said. "My father wrote and told me about it." Elphaba nodded. She had understood from previous conversations that the Vinkun Council was made up of the three biggest and most influential tribes in Vinkus (including the Arjiki tribe), and their words were as good as the whole of Vinkus speaking, since there was no overall Vinkun King.

"Look at this!" The speaker suddenly pointed his finger at Fiyero. "The prince of Vinkus himself! Come, good man, come and gave us a speech!"

There was more cheering, and the people around Fiyero pushed him towards the stage. He turned back at Elphaba, looking embarrassed, but went on stage nonetheless.

"Thank you for inviting me on stage, errr…" Fiyero hesitated, not knowing the man's name.

"Mo," he told him.

"Thank you for inviting me on stage, Mo, " Fiyero repeated, looking at Elphaba. He noticed that she was not looking at him. She was looking at the sky where the dark clouds are gathering. Fiyero remembered that Elphaba would always fall very sick if she was caught in a downpour. Obviously, she remembered that too, and he could see the worried look in her eyes even though she was quite a distance away.

He decided to make it short. "Vinkus recognized the intelligence of Animals, and supported them as much. Thank you." With that, he quickly jumped off the stage and ran back into the crowd where Elphaba was.

"That was a short speech," she told him, amusement in her eyes, just as the first drop of rainwater hit the ground.

"Let's go," he said, as he grabbed her hand and ran as a thunderous downpour started.

The crowd dispersed, with everyone running in different direction. Fiyero led Elphaba to one of the nearby shelters which was unoccupied. Despite being sheltered, the strong wind blew the rain in, and Fiyero shifted Elphaba so that he would block most of the rain that came in. He took off his coat and turned it inside out. There was a waterproof lining inside his coat and had thus remained dry, and he used it to wipe the droplets off Elphaba, who had beginning to shiver.

Having dried her, he looked at her again. She was still cold, her lips turning more grey than it usually was. Fiyero cursed her weak health (no doubt aggravated by all the late night studying), and then pulled her into his arms, where he hoped she could get some warmth. He heard a surprised yelp from her, and smiling, started to rub her cold arms.

"I'm trying to keep you warm, silly," he told her. He then heard a muffled reply from his chest, where her face was crushed against.

After rubbing her arms for a while, he released his deathly hug on her, and started rubbing her hands, blowing on them to give them some much needed heat.

And when he was blowing at her hands, he looked at her. Elphaba's expression was priceless, alternating between shivering, and embarrassment of having so much contact with the prince. Fiyero felt a skip in his heart, and before he knew it, he did what he had managed to refrain himself from doing so far.

He pulled her to him and kissed her.

At first she stiffened, and then Fiyero felt her hands, which were squashed between the two of them, unclenched and her fingers placed lightly on his chest. He deepened his kiss and felt her hands shifted and gripped his shirt. Fiyero smiled, all the while not breaking contact. He knew that she never had a boyfriend and most probably had never been kissed, but loved the feeling on her lips on his too much to go slow or to stop.

And when he did stop, he could feel the heat on her face that he was touching. Elphaba quickly removed her hands from his chest, as if she was touching something forbidden, and she blushed.

She turned away from him to look at the rain which had lessened considerably and mumbled something.

"What?" He asked, amused.

She mumbled something like "Got to go," and then run into the rain.

Elphaba did not fall sick that day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

**A/N thank you for the reviews, alerts and favourites!**

**Annabeth, I love your profile! FYI, longer updates are abit tough cos I usually work on short updates as they are easier to edit with the limited time that I have, but I will try. **

**GreenFaeLovesYero, this is a not one-shot. My draft is about 28 chapters and I still edit it so the final chapters is not firmed yet.**

**Please read and review! :)**

The first time Elphaba had heard of the prince was when her roommate, Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, came into their shared bedroom with a breathless, "Elphie, you won't believe what happen! I saw Fiyero Tiggular!"

"Fiyero who?" she had asked, her face still buried in the book that she was reading.

Galinda snatched away the book.

"Elphie, have you been buried under your books for the past ten years? How can you not know who Fiyero Tiggular is?"

Elphaba looked her excited roommate. "Is that the Wizard's real name?"

"Elphie! Fiyero Tiggular! The scandalicious Vinkun prince! Sweet Lurline, Elphie. I saw him just now. It seemed that he is coming to Shiz to study. And guess what? Yours truly is going on a date with him on Friday!" She squealed with delight.

"Alright, I guess you are happy about that. Have fun, Lin," and Elphaba took back her book, only to have it snatched away again.

"Elphie, he is so cute, and so tall, and so handsome…," Galinda said with a dreamy voice as she held the book close to her chest.

Elphaba's eyebrows rose at the way Galinda was gushing about him.

"And he had such beautiful eyes and smooth skin…"

Her eyebrows went higher.

"And that smile…. " Galinda cupped her face with her hands while Elphaba's eyebrows went even higher.

"And he looked so good in those tight white pants, Elphie." Elphaba's eyebrows stopped rising, only because it could go no higher.

"I got the message, Lin. He's your type. You are going on a date with him. Now leave me alone with my book." The green girl told her friend.

Galinda had gone on that date, and came back talking non-stop the whole night (and the next two days) about how wonderful that date was. And that they would get married next time.

After the second date, Galinda came back, and confided in Elphaba.

"Elphie! How can someone be so perfect!?" She asked.

"What?" Elphaba was asleep and her blonde friend had shaken her until she woke up.

"He's perfect, Elphie."

"That's good," Elphaba had told her roommate and went back to sleep.

Galinda shook her awake again.

"But Elphie, everyone was looking at him! We're perfect together but people were paying him more attention than to me. "

"Oz, Lin," Elphaba could not take it anymore and sat up on her bed. "You are complaining because people are ignoring you? How I wish that would happen to me!"

"Elphie, but I feel…. I feel awful… when all they see is him." Galinda had tried to explain.

A few days later, Fiyero walked by when the group were having lunch, and joined in. Elphaba thought that he joined them because of Galinda, but there was no third date after that. He was interested in everyone in the group. He talked to Boq about life in Munkinland and the lessons that they attended together, about theatre and arts to Crope and Tibbett (who joined the group occasionally), and asked after Nessarose's school life. He even talked to her. He had other friends, but he was with them during most lunches.

Elphaba could not deny that he was nice to everyone, though she could see where his scandalicious reputation came from. He smiled outrageously and flirted with all the girls, complimented them on their looks and dressing, helped them with their books, and pulled out their chairs for them. He was nice to Galinda too, but treated her no differently from the way he treated the other girls. He even tried to treat Elphaba the same way at the beginning.

"You don't have to carry my books." She would say when he tried to carry her books.

"I can pull out my own chair, thank you. You don't have to treat me like one of the girls." ("But you are a girl!" he had protested the first time)

"I don't recall giving you permission to eat from my plate." (which only made him take one more item before he stopped)

"Is that your arm on the back of my chair or is it a snake with a death wish?"

Fiyero just laughed, but he got the message and cut down on those actions, though he still tried his luck once in a while.

He was nice to Elphaba in other ways. He held long conversations with her, argued with her about controversial topics, bought her hot chocolate when the weather was cold, and hot coffee when Galinda mentioned that she had studied late into the night.

After a while, Elphaba started to think of him as a friend. It seemed unthinkable, but after the most popular girl in Shiz, the best looking boy in Shiz had become her friend.

And now he had done something that a friend should not have done.

Elphaba woke up late, because she had slept late. She had fallen asleep late, because her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. She remembered the way he held her, his arms warm and embracing, but not restraining. The way he kissed her, the way it made her shivered from inside out. And the way it made her wanted to experience it all over again.

"Are you alright, Elphie," Galinda, dressed in pink as usual, asked. "You're shivering."

"I'm fine, Lin. Just the chills left over from yesterday." Galinda was in the room when Elphaba came back the day before, wet.

Galinda nodded her head, "Do you want to get something from the nurse on the way to class? Just in case you started to develop a fever?" She asked as she opened the door.

Elphaba shook her head.

The two girls found Fiyero leaning casually against one of trees nearest to the dorm when they stepped out into the sunshine.

"Good morning ladies," he said, flashing his mega-watt smile.

"Good morning, Fiyero," Galinda replied, "what brings you here so early in the morning."

"Well, I remembered that a certain Missy would always fall sick after being caught in the rain, so I came today with flowers for a visit." He said, stretching his hand so that the bunch of poppy flowers is right in front of Elphaba. She rolled her eyes.

Galinda's immediate reaction, however, caught him by surprise. She started to hit him immediately with her small pink, crystal-crusted handbag. Fiyero was so surprised that he dropped the flowers on the ground.

"What's that for?" He exclaimed, jumping away from Galinda and rubbing his arm where Galinda's handbag had hit him.

"That (hit) is (hit) for (hit) cursing (hit) that (hit) Elphie (hit) will (hit) fall (hit) sick!" Galinda explained as she punctuated each word with another swing of her handbag.

"Well, if she is not sick, it must be due to my secret weapon!"

Galina stopped. "What secret weapon?"

Fiyero winked at Elphaba. "Would you like me to tell Galinda my secret weapon?"

"No!" "Yes!" Elphaba and Galinda shouted at the same time.

Fiyero smiled at Galinda. "Well, the secret weapon is… I cannot tell you!"

"What?" Galinda gasped, ready to run after Fiyero with her handbag.

"Hey, if I tell you, then it won't be a secret anymore right?" He grinned.

Galinda thought for a while. "You're right," she admitted.

"We're going to be late, Lin," Elphaba reminded her as she tried to divert the topic.

The three friends started to walk to their class, the flowers on the grass, forgotten.

"Do you think you should thank me since I have managed to stop you from catching a cold in the rain?" Fiyero told Elphaba.

"No," she told him point blank. He acted hurt, his hand over his heart.

Galinda laughed at his antics. "You should, Elphie. Afterall, his secret weapon stopped you from falling sick and missing one whole week of classes. I know how much you hate it when you have to miss your classes."

"Miss Upland is right," Fiyero said in a flamboyant tone. "Friday night. Seven-thirty. Shiz Café." With that, he backed off, but not before giving the two girls a deep bow, which made Galinda giggled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Friday night came.

Galinda tried to 'galindify' Elphaba, but the green girl escaped with her hair down, and just a pink jacket and full makeup. She managed to retain her boots. She walked a short distance from the dorm before taking out her handkerchief and wiping off the makeup.

"Good riddance," she said to herself.

She then proceeded to Shiz Café after she had 'de-galindified' herself.

Shiz Café was one of the few cafes located within the campus. There were five cafes on campus grounds, ranging from those with a friendly atmosphere to one with high-end dining. Shiz Café was one of the more popular ones where students would go during group outing, and Elphaba was glad for the choice. She was never one for high-class dining.

Fiyero was there when she arrived. He was dressed casually in a light colour long sleeve shirt open at the neck. A coat was draped on the chair next to him. There was a cup of half-drunk coffee in front of him. His face lit up when he saw her.

"I thought you are not coming." He told her when she sat down.

Elphaba looked at the clock hanging on the wall. She did not realize that she was so late. Galinda really took up a lot of time.

"I'm sorry. It's Galinda. She 'galindify' me, " Elphaba explained.

Fiyero tilted his head sideways to have a good look at her. "I didn't see any 'galindification' on your face," he told her teasingly.

Elphaba admitted to him that she wiped it off. Fiyero laughed. "How are you going to explain to her when you went back without makeup?"

She had not thought about that. "I guess I will have to go back so late that by then she would be asleep and therefore not notice it?"

Fiyero grinned. "I don't think that will be a problem. "

They ordered dinner, and chatted while eating. Conversation flowed easily between the two friends. Fiyero realized that, as usual, Elphaba would really talk once she was given a topic that she was passionate about. They talk about the Animal Banns (Elphaba skillfully avoided mentioning the anti-wizard rally and the subsequent kiss), about mystery surrounding the last Ozma, and a few other topics. Fiyero mentioned about a few books that he had read, including a collection of love poems that he had read recently and was surprised that Elphaba had read most of them.

"I never know that you read poems." He told her.

"I read almost everything, including the propaganda on Animal Banns, just to see how twisted they are."

"But love poems?" He asked teasingly.

Elphaba blushed. "They are just poems. It does not matter what genre they are. The thing about reading is that you get to experience things that you will not experience in life, like …." She stopped herself at the last moment.

Fiyero was surprised by that last statement. She was what, seventeen, and she already had such a pessimistic outlook in life. He looked at her. "You don't think you will ever fall in love." It was a statement more than a question.

"I'm green," she told him, as if that explained everything.

"Well, I happened to think that the colour looks good on you. I don't know if anyone had told you, but you are a pretty girl and you will still look pretty regardless of whether you are white, green, red or blue."

She blushed. Fiyero noticed how pretty she was when she was blushing, and told her so, which made her blushed even more.

Just then, the waiter came over to tell them that the café is closing for the day. They looked around and it was only then that they realized that the rest of the customers had left long ago. They had not noticed that as they were so engrossed in their conversation.

They apologized to the waiter for delaying their closing time and left the place. Fiyero paid, of course.

"I bet Galinda must be asleep by now," Fiyero told Elphaba, "it is now safe for you to go back."

Elphaba laughed, her laughter clear in the silent night. Fiyero thought that she had a very beautiful laughter, but decided against telling her.

"Oz, this is so silly, avoiding Galinda like this. She is a good friend, but I do wish she will cut me some slack on all this 'galindification'". She admitted to Fiyero.

"Well, I suppose it is just her way of showing you that you are her good friend. Afterall, I don't see her doing that to any other girl."

"Because I am the only one hopeless with makeup and makeovers?"

At the moment Fiyero's fingers touched hers and he held her hand.

"Because she sees the beauty in you and wants to emphasize it?" Fiyero suggested.

Elphaba did not reply, for she was afraid that her voice would betray the way she felt about his hand holding hers.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, still holding hands. Elphaba was glad when they reached the dorm and the corridor was empty. She removed her hand from his before she spoke.

"Thank you for the dinner. You'd better go, it's going to be curfew time."

He smiled at her. "I'll run back to my room after this," he promised her as his hand touched the back of her neck and closed the gap.

The kiss was short, but sweet.

"Would you like to meet for dinner tomorrow?" He asked her.

She took a deep breath and looked at him. "We'll see. Thank you for the dinner, Fiyero, and goodnight."

Just then, the door to her room opened slightly and a voice came from within.

"Is there you, Elphie?" Galinda asked in a sleepy voice. "Are you coming in?"

Elphaba looked back. "Coming, Lin."

"Goodnight Elphaba. Goodnight, Galinda," Fiyero said to the girls.

"Goodnight Fiyero," Galinda said to the prince from inside.

Elphaba gave him a smile before she entered the room.

Galinda closed the door behind them, and stood there, her back against the door, as they heard Fiyero's footsteps retreated.

"I saw what happened just now, Elphie," Galinda said, the sleepiness gone from her voice. "It's confession time."

**A/N What did Galinda see and how would she react? Reviews please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A/N Thank you TempGeller, JCBoLt, BookWorm001, and Guest for the reviews.**

**This whole chapter is about Galinda, Galinda and more Galinda (the first time I write so much about Galinda). Tell me what you think about it! :)**

**Disclaimer : am very obsessed with Fiyeraba.**

"I thought I was your best friend, Elphie," Galinda said, her voice soft. "When did that change?"

"You are, Lin. You are my best friend. You still are." Elphaba looked at Galinda. She felt bad. It was not as if she did not know that Galinda was interested in Fiyero. Afterall, her roommate, the most popular girl in Shiz, had talked about marrying him when he had first arrived in Shiz.

"Then why did you do this to me? How can you not tell me that there is something between you and Fiyero?"

Elphaba looked at Galinda, not knowing how to react.

A few tick tocks passed, and then Galinda squealed in delight and hugged Elphaba.

"Oh Elphie!" She screamed.

There was banging on the wall. "I'm trying to sleep, Galinda!" The girl from the next room shouted.

Elphaba blinked.

Galinda grinned, and put a finger to her lips as if Elphaba was the one that woke up their neighbor.

"Elphie, why didn't you tell me that you and Fiyero are dating?" She giggled. "Am I seeing things?" She asked in an excited whisper. "You and Fiyero kissing? When did the two of you start dating? Why didn't you tell me? How can you hide this from me? Oh well, I never expected that. Fiyero and Elphaba! You should have told me you are going on a date. I would have done more than that simple makeover, it will include a beautiful dress to show off your figure, curling your hair, facial and heels! My Elphie dating a prince! Sweet Lurline, I will never imagine that. You dating the scandalicious Fiyero! Tell me all the details! How was dinner? What did you talk about? Did he hold your hand? Is he a good kisser? How far have you all gone? How does it feel? How did he proclaim his love for you? Sweet Lurline, all the girls in the school have a crush on him and he chooses my Elphie!"

Elphaba stood there watching as Galinda chatted excitedly, her hands gesturing animatedly as she danced on the spot.

"Galinda!" She called for her roommate. "We're not together!"

That stopped Galinda short. Her mouth formed a big O, which was a comical sight as she was wearing her bright pink nightgown with matching pink sleeping robe, with her hair in bright pink curlers and a pair of pink bunny shoes.

"What?" She asked.

"We. Are. Not. Together." Elphaba repeated.

"Why?" Galinda sounded broken hearted all of a moment. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that was not Fiyero that I had seen and talked to just now? That what I had seen was just my imagination?"

"That was Fiyero," Elphaba confirmed. "But we are not together."

"Then why was he kissing you if you are not together?"

"I don't know, Lin," Elphaba told her as she sat down on her bed. "He had acted strangely lately."

"You mean you are not together and that he had kissed you before?" Galinda narrowed her eyes even further (if that was physically possible).

Elphaba looked at the floor.

"Once," she admitted.

"When?" Galinda asked, her hands on her hips.

Elphaba told her, in as few words as possible. "It happened when it rained during the anti-wizard rally."

"Elphie, it's a boring anti-wizard rally! It's not Lurlinemas with a mistletoe above you!" Galinda emphasized with a hand above the two of them pretending to be holding a mistletoe. "I think you have gone nuts, Elphie. Are you sure that he had not confessed his love for you but you never noticed because your head is always buried inside a book?"

"Galinda, I swear. Nothing of that sort. And why are you still awake? It's late."

"Well, I stayed up for you, but I got bored, so I started to do a cucumber mask on my face, and then I could not sleep because I needed to wait for the mask to dry off before I could wash my face again, and when I had finished washing my face, you were not back yet, so I prepared a Lavender footbath for myself, and it felt so comfortable that I soaked my feet longer than I usually did, and I had just poured away the water when I heard talking outside the door, looked through the peephole and saw what happened." Galinda recited her pre-bedtime activity all within one sentence, all within one breath.

"So are two of you together?" She asked again.

"No, Galinda." Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"It's too late to roll your eyes."

She had to laugh at that. "There is no such thing as a suitable time for rolling eyes."

"Then why is he kissing you?" Galinda asked, back to her topic of the night.

"What? Wait. I told you I don't know Galinda. Can we let this rest? I'm having a headache. I am going to sleep."

"Oh sure. My Elphie did not have a headache when she was having her romantic dinner with Fiyero and kissing him but she had a headache the moment she had to talk to me!" Galinda said with an exaggerated tone.

"Galinda!"

Galinda sat down next to Elphaba.

"I don't think Fiyero will just kiss any girl on the lips. For the record, he only kissed me on the cheek on those two dates. He is not drunk is he?"

"No, Galinda, he had been drinking coffee the whole night."

"So how does he taste like," Galinda's eyes flashed.

"Galinda!"

Galinda tugged at Elphaba's sleeves and rested her head on her taller rommate's shoulder. "Elphie, please. He is the most perfect, scandalicious guy on the campus. And since he like you –"

"No, he doesn't."

Galinda's head came up. "He must have, else why would he kiss you?"

Elphaba had no answer for that.

"And since he likes you," Galinda continued,"it would mean that I am not his type even though I am perfect, which means that I never get a chance to kiss those perfect lips of his." Galinda ended her sentence with a longing sigh. "So can you please please please please tell me how did kissing Fiyero feel like?" Galinda tugged at her sleeves again.

Elphaba thought about it. And the thought send a shiver down her spine again and she felt herself blushing.

"You're blushing, Elphie!" Galinda said as she stood up and did a dance across the room to her bed. She then did a dramatic backward fall onto her own bed with her arms wide open, before she got up and hug the soft toy that was on her bed. She kissed her soft toy, all the while mumbling, "oh Fiyero, you kissed so well. Muach muach." Elphaba would have found it funny if she was not the cause of the joke.

Galinda put down her soft toy after a few rounds of 'Fiyero kisses' and hugged it close to her chest. "Will you guys be together?" she whispered in an almost conspiracy tone.

"Galinda, I told you, we are not together!"

"I am asking, will you be together. Future tense, Elphie! I do know my grammar." She scoffed.

"He's a prince, for Oz's sake. He can choose from any girl he wants, Lin. What makes you think he will want to be with someone like me?"

"I don't know, Elphie. Apparently he should have fallen for me because I am perfect but he didn't. So why couldn't he fall for you?"

"You didn't give him the chance for a third date, remember?"

Galinda thought about it. "You are right, Elphie. I will never date a guy who gets more attention than me. But you don't mind, so the two of you are perfect together."

"I would be the last person that is perfect with him, Lin."

"Obviously, he did not think so. Kiss kiss, remember?" Galinda teased.

Elphaba threw her pillow at the pink girl.

"You are impossible to talk to at this stage, Lin. I am going to bed." She went to the bathroom and washed her face before changing into her nightgown and climbed onto her bed.

"Goodnight, Elphie. May you dream of Fiyero and his perfect kisses. Elphie and Yero. I like the sound of it."

"Shut up, Lin!" Elphaba replied as she off the light and pulled her blanket over her head.

In the dark, Galinda stifled a giggle as she made herself comfortable in her own bed and soon fell asleep. It took Elphaba much longer to fall asleep though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N Thank you James birdsong, bookWorm001 and Silvine Graycin for the reviews.**

**bookWorm001, yes, you are right, Galinda was happy with what she saw.**

**Silvine, went to google and read your Changing Fate (just a few chapters) on . Looking forward to your rewrite!**

**To all readers, Silvine Graycin actually had a wicked fanfic with the same title! Should I change mine? The original title for this fanfic was actually A Twist of Fate because it was how Elphaba's life change because Fiyero came into her life before all the Animal Banns affected her (musicalverse). What do you think?**

**And please review this chapter! Noticed that reviews for most fanfics seemed to have dwindled. Is it examinations time in some part of the world?**

**Last but not least, thank you for 3 new followers for the past week! :)**

The next day, Galinda and Elphaba were having breakfast in the school's main cafeteria when they saw Fiyero walking towards the building.

"Oh Elphie, here comes your dream guy," Galinda teased her mercilessly.

"Walking, living nightmare." Elphaba mumbled as she looked down and continued to eat her breakfast, pretending that she had not seen him.

"Oh wait, there is a girl approaching him," Galinda poked at her roommate. Elphaba looked up. Sure enough, a pretty girl with red hair and micro-mini skirt had joined the queue that Fiyero was in and they had started talking.

"She's no competition, Elphie," Galinda said confidently.

Elphaba felt like digging a hole there and then and hid inside.

"Galinda, I told you, there is nothing between the two of us. He can talk to or date any girl he wants." She told her friend as she continued with her breakfast.

"Oh wait wait, Elphie. He is looking for you!" Galinda hit Elphaba on her arm excitedly. Elphaba looked at the prince again. He had placed his breakfast on a tray and did look as if he was scanning the crowd for someone.

Galinda stood up and waved frantically with both hands. Fiyero saw the bubbly blonde, smiled at her, said something to the redhead next to him and then walked towards them.

"He's coming, he's coming!" Galinda keep hitting Elphaba's arm. At that moment, Elphaba wished that her sorcery class had taught her how to become invisible. She made a mental note to talk to Madame Morrible about this as soon as she could.

"Good morning, ladies. Is the seat taken?" Fiyero asked when he reached the table.

"Yes, Fiyero. By you," Galinda told him, batting her eyelids. That was simply too much saccharine between the two and Elphaba lost her appetite.

She was about to stand up and remove her tray when Galinda suddenly grabbed her hand and pointed at one of her friends in the distance.

"OhlookthereisShenShenIgottot alktoheraboutsomethingactual lynothinginparticularbutIgot todoitnowWhydon'thetwoofyoujustsitdownandhav eagoodchatI'llseeyouaroundByeeeeee!" With that, Galinda ran off in search of ShenShen with her breakfast tray still on the table and left the two alone.

Fiyero smiled at her. "Now it's just the two of us."

Elphaba looked at him. "I was about to leave."

He looked hurt by her remark, and for a moment she wished that she had not said it.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that Galinda had been bugging me about something."

"About what?" He asked.

"Nothing," Elphaba said, as she started poking at her food with her fork. She did not leave.

"So have you decided?" He asked her when her food had been poked into tiny pieces that could not be any smaller.

"What?" she asked, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Oh." It was all she could say. She thought he had forgotten all about it.

"I really enjoyed our dinner last night, Elphaba."He told her, his voice filled with sincerity. "So can we meet again tonight? Grommie's? Seven? Can I pick you up?" He looked at her with his pair of blue eyes and Elphaba was reminded of the summer sky.

"I'll meet you there," she found herself agreeing. Damn, she thought, with that puppy dog eyes, she would not be surprised if she would jump into suicide canal without a second thought just because he told her to do so.

With that, she fled, not trusting herself to stay a single second longer.

Elphaba went to the library. The library was always her sanctuary, the place for her to study and the place that she would go when she wanted to be alone or wanted to sort out her thoughts. But the library offered no such refuge that day. She wandered from shelf to shelf, took out a few books but nothing could capture her attention. And then she realized with a shock that all the books that she had picked out had blue covers. The same shade of blue like the summer sky. She put the books back onto the correct shelves and left the library.

She thought that she could keep the upcoming dinner appointment from Galinda, but she knew she was busted the moment she entered their bedroom. Galinda had like twenty of her dresses with matching shoes lay out on both their beds.

"So where's the venue?" She said as her way of greeting, her eyes not leaving the clothes as she scrutinized them one by one.

"Galinda, how did you know?" Elphaba was surprised. Was the blonde eavesdropping after she had left the table?

"Elphie, I may not be as good as you in sorcery, but 'reading men's thoughts' is my speciality," she replied with a flourish.

"It's Grommie's," Elphaba confessed.

Galinda thought for a while (sometimes, Elphaba thought that Galinda only used her brains when she had to decide on what to wear), and then pointed at a dress that was on Elphaba's bed.

It was a simple short sleeve cotton dress. The top was white in colour while the skirt was dark blue and ended at the knee level. It was something that Galinda had bought at the spur of the moment but would never wear because it was 'too boring'.

"Don't say I didn't take your taste in colour into consideration," the fashion consultant wannabe told her victim (strikeout) friend.

And so it was, at seven, that the green girl, dressed in Galinda's white and blue dress (the dress was abit wide at the sides and ended above her knees since she was thinner and taller than Galinda) found herself outside Grommie's. Instead of plaiting her hair, Galinda had tied it into a ponytail which Galinda said will make her look less severe and yet will to be messed up by the wind.

She placed her hand on the handle of the door, and hesitated, and was about turn around and went back to her room when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Thinking of running away?"

She turned and looked up. It was Fiyero, with an amused look on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He wore a light green shirt with a bootlace tie and pants. The sleeves were rolled up. He had worn a pair of dark colour casual pants which matched the shirt nicely.

"I – I think I forgot to bring something." She smattered.

"What did you forget to bring? A book? You won't be needing a book tonight, Elphaba," he told her with a smile, as he gently guide her to turn around so that she was facing the door again. He then opened the door and waved her to go in.

Grommie's was a place for intimate, quiet conversations, rather than loud group gatherings. There was a staff behind the door who immediately guided them to a table for two. Elphaba noticed that a few heads were turned in their direction. She hoped that they were looking at the good looking prince rather than at her.

They looked at the menu and ordered their food. It was a no brainer for Elphaba, as there were only a few dishes that did not contain meat. The food came quickly, and as the two were having their dinner, Elphaba could feel a few pairs of eyes staring at her back and some whispers. She turned around just in time to see a few customers in a table a few tables away suddenly turning away and pretending to be engrossed in their dinner. She turned back to her food again and heard the whispering again.

"Is something wrong?" Fiyero asked as he noticed her silence.

She shook her head, and continued with her food, but could not help turning back again when she heard the sensitive 'green' word. Again, the group suddenly turned back and pretended to be engrossed in their food.

This time round, however, Fiyero noticed them. He put down his utensils, excused himself and walked over to the table of guys.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. I cannot help but notice that you have been noticing, and making comments about my beautiful companion. Is there something that you would like to say in front of us rather than behind her back?" His voice was non-provocative, yet firm enough to show the group that he was serious.

As with most people who were caught red handed with gossiping, their faces turned red. Fiyero stood there, each of his hands on the back of two of the chairs that were occupied, his eyes boring into the face of whom he correctly gauged to be the leader of the group.

The guy balked, and said "there's nothing" with a nervous laughter, and was joined by the rest of his mates.

Fiyero continued to stare at him for a few silent moments before replying. "Enjoy your meals. Have a good evening." He said with a nod, and then back to his table.

Elphaba noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant was holding their breath throughout the whole encounter, and started to breathe again only after Fiyero had sat down. She also noticed that the group quickly called for their bill and left the restaurant.

"How's the food?" He asked.

"Fine," she replied, but she was picking at it. It was supposed to be a simple dinner appointment, but the presence of that group reminded Elphaba on how people usually passed snide remarks when she was with Fiyero or Galinda. It was as if someone like her, green like her, should not have friends that were good looking or popular.

Fiyero surprised her by leaning across the table and speared a carrot with his fork and popped it into his mouth. He then passed some of his lettuce to her plate.

"Exchange program," he told her.

Elphaba would usually roll her eyes at his actions, but she kept quiet instead. She also left his lettuce untouched.

The two finished their dinner in silence.

Fiyero settled the bill, and they left the restaurant. Instead of walking her back to her dorm, he brought her to one of the many small parks littered around the campus and they sat down on a cold stone bench.

"You're very quiet tonight," he told her.

She didn't reply.

He shifted closer to her. He then wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her to him and kissed her forehead before resting his chin on top of her head. She did not protest, and instead sought comfort from his warmth.

"You know that you don't have to bother with what other people say," he told her.

She disengaged herself from him and looked into the distance.

She spoke after a while.

"That's easy for you to say. You are the handsome and popular prince. I bet no one had ever passed any snide remark about you."

"That's not true. I had people saying that I am stupid. That I party too much… you can't please everybody."

"I am – they called me the artichoke going after the prince." She said, referring back to the incident at the restaurant. Somehow, that incident reminded her of the vast difference between her and other girls. Other girls could have friends that they could confide in. They had sleepovers. They could dream of going on dates and falling in love and having it happened. Before Galinda, she never had a friend whom she could talk to, and never imagined that one day she would have such a friend. But dating? Would that happen?

Fiyero smiled. "They got the direction wrong. It's the prince going after the green girl, because he knows greens are good for him."

Elphaba could not help herself but smiled.

Fiyero held her hand, and looked at her while she continued to look ahead.

"Do you know that you are actually a very special girl? You're one in a million. A gem. And I want to hold this gem in my hand. I want us to be more than friends. I want to be the person that you want to talk to. I want to the first person you think of in the morning and last thing on your mind before you fall asleep at night. I want to be the one that you want to share your happiness with, the one that you want to confide in when you are troubled. Do you think that is possible?" He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

Elphaba looked up at him, her jaw dropped at the confession.

"I suppose silence means consent," he said teasingly when she kept silent.

Elphaba shook her head in disbelief and removed her hand from his.

"You don't know you are getting yourself into," she told him.

Fiyero smiled. "I know what I am getting into. I am trying to get into a wonderful relationship with an amazing girl."

She looked in the distance again, just to stop herself from looking at him.

"What is it?" He asked. "Is there somebody else?" He reached for her hand again.

She shook her head. "I'm not the kind of girl that anyone should date. I'm green. I'm unfriendly. Can we go back now? I'm tired."

Beside her, she heard Fiyero sighed. And she felt her heart sinking. That she had caused him to be disappointed. But she was just being truthful. And the truth hurt in this case.

"I'll walk you back." He asked after a while.

They walked back to her room in silence, their hands not touching. At the door, Elphaba was half afraid (and half wanting) that he would kiss her again. She knew that she would just give in and showed him how she really felt if he were to kiss her the way he did before. He gave her a peck on the cheek instead.

"I'll behave for the time being," he told her. "But promise me that you will think about giving me a chance."

"I don't make promises that I cannot keep, Fiyero," she said sadly before she entered her room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

**A/N Haha ok. No one replied about the changing of the title, except for Silvine herself. I had wanted to change the title to Take A Chance (from the Abba song) besides I was editing this title (you will know why when you finish reading this chapter), but then it would not be indicative of what is to come. So staying put for the time being until I can think of a better title.**

**Thanks to JCBoLt, James Birdsong and Silvine graycine for the reviews on chapter 4. **

**Silvine, don't you love modern technology? I read fanfic on my android (which somehow translates the name of the university that Elphaba attended into ***) during office hours :P**

The next morning, Elphaba found a note under her door early in the morning. It was addressed to her.

_Going to town to run some errands. I'll see you on Monday_

_ F_

"What is that?" Galinda, who was behind her, asked.

Elphaba passed the note over her shoulder to Galinda without saying a word. The blonde read the note out loud.

"That was so sweet of him. He's a gem, Elphie. "

Elphaba's heart skipped a beat when she remembered that Fiyero had called her a gem too the night before.

Galinda continued as she went into the bathroom. "I really don't understand why you don't want to give him a chance. He's so nice to you. And it does not hurt that he is a prince and good-looking. Half the girls in Shiz would do anything for a chance to be with him and, here you are, throwing this opportunity away without a second thought."

Elphaba said nothing. She felt bad. She had said that he would not understand what it was like to date her, but that was the truth. People like Fiyero and Galinda, who were born attractive and grew up in closely knitted families would never understand how she felt.

Elphaba cleaned up her room that day. She cleared the rubbish, changed the bedsheets, and wiped everything down. She washed the toilet and mopped the floor. She did that for the whole room, including Galinda's side of the room. When that was done, she rearranged her books and her wardrobe but left Galinda's wardrobe alone since that would take months to rearrange. When that was done, she climbed onto her bed and re-read the _History of Ozma_, a two thousand page book about all the Ozmas since the beginning of Oz history. She kept herself busy so that she did not have to think about Fiyero, and she did not. But half the time there was a sunken feeling in her heart, as if someone had dropped a stone into the bottom of her heart.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Elphaba and Galinda had just come out from their first class on Monday when Galinda suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Elphie, look!" She pointed to a figure walking on the lawn.

Elphaba's heart skip a beat. Walking on the grass, oblivious to the stares and whispers around him, was a boy with wavy blonde hair. He was wearing the white and blue Shiz uniform that all male students wore and had his sleeves rolled up. He had a tan messenger bag slung across his body. But what stood out was his skin colour. He was green. A shade lighter than Elphaba's, but green nonetheless.

Galinda and Elphaba stood here, staring at the green apparition, and wondering on the possibility of this world having two green person and both appearing in Shiz at the same time, when Elphaba narrowed her eyes.

The graceful strides that was all too familiar to her.

"Fiyero," she whispered his name, before she quickly turned around and dashed down the staircase and ran towards the lawn.

"Elphie, wait!" She heard Galinda calling behind her, but did not stop for her.

By the time she reached him, there were already several groups of students standing nearby, gawking at the new green entrant.

"Fiyero," she hissed. "What do you think you are doing?" For sure it was, Fiyero with his skin green.

"Going to class," he said with all innocence.

"I mean, in green!" She unintentionally raised her voice a notch higher.

Before he could reply, Elphaba heard a commanding voice behind her.

"What nonsense is this?"

They both turned at the sound of the voice. It was Madame Morrible, moving with difficulty towards them in her overbearing costume and makeup.

"Madame Morrible." They both greeted her.

"Mr Tiggular, can you explain what is going on? Why are you showing up with green skin?" Madame Morrible asked the green prince.

"Madame Morrible, this morning someone poured green paint on me as I was leaving the dorm," he told her with a straight face.

"Poured green paint evenly over you?" She asked. It was clear from the look on the school mistress' face that she did not buy the story.

"Was the colour even?" He asked with a grin.

"Mr Tiggular, I will excuse you from your class. Now please go back and clean yourself up. We already have one green student in Shiz and that is enough commotion. I will expel you if I see you turn up in class in green again. Miss Thropp, I assume you have another class to go to?"

Elphaba nodded her head. "Yes, Madame Morrible."

"Then go, and don't be late."

Elphaba looked at Fiyero. There were so many things that she wanted to say to him, but she just turned and went to her next class. Fiyero looked at her as she walked away.

"Mr Tiggular, please go back to your room and washed off the paint."

Fiyero turned and looked at Madame Morrible. "Yes, Madame Morrible."

Madame Morrible stood there and watched the two of them disappeared from her sight before she went on her way.

Elphaba literally ran all the way to Fiyero's room after her second class had ended. Galinda, in her usual generous way, did not follow her.

She knocked on his door, hoping that he was in.

"Come on in, the door is not locked." He called from inside.

Elphaba opened the door and let herself in. Fiyero was seated on his study chair, with a pail of soapy water in front of him. He had changed out of his Shiz uniform into just a pair of pants. He was topless, and his arms were lathered with soap. His face, neck, forearm and hands were green while the rest of him was not. Elphaba saw the two columns of blue diamond tattoos that ran down his torso until they disappear below waistline into his pants. She stared at them for a moment before his voice brought her back to reality.

"It won't come off. The man at the store said it will," he told her with a tone of dismay, swiping one hand over the other arm to remove the lather so that she could see that green stain was still there.

Elphaba had to laugh at his expression.

She stepped forward and took that one arm in her hands, and tried to rub off the stain with her fingers. The colour would not come off.

"What is it anyway?" She asked.

"It was supposed to be some makeup powder that was supposed to be mixed with water before application. The man did say it should be safe for the skin."

"The keyword is _should_. What happened if your skin is allergic to it?" Elphaba said him as she continued to rub on his skin. The colour refused to come off, and she was afraid that if she continued, she would either bruise his skin or wear off his skin too.

He shrugged.

She thought for a while, before dropping his hand and leaving the room, but not before telling him to wait for her.

She came back to her room and returned with a bottle containing pale golden liquid. He was still on the seat, waiting.

"What's that?" He asked.

"It's a blend of different oils. I use this in the cold winter to clean myself on those days when it was too cold for a shower." She explained. "It is good for massaging and has moisturizing benefits too."

She asked him where he kept his towel, and proceeded to retrieve it to dry his arms, all the while trying hard not to stare at the beautiful diamond tattoos. When his arms are dry, she poured a liberal amount of oil on her hands and, out of habit, rubbed them together to warm up the oil before applying on his arm. There was a smell of fragrance in the air. Fiyero sniffed at the air.

"Now I know why I can never figure out what fragrance you are wearing. This is your own special blend," he said flirtatiously. "I think I will have a good sleep tonight, it will like sleeping with you next to me."

Elphaba pretended to be concentrating on removing the stain, but she felt herself blushing. Gripping his arm with one hand, she used her thumb to exert pressure by rubbing on one spot in circular motions. After a while, the colour came off, his skin now slightly reddish from the excessive rubbing.

"It works," he said in amazement.

He took over the job, while Elphaba was in charge of pouring the oil into his hands. Soon, his arms, hands and neck were free of the green colouring. And then it was the face.

"Let me," she told him, as she stood in front of him. She warmed up another handful of oil. Using one hand to support the back of his neck, she rested his jaw on her body for support and started to rub the oil on his forehead. Fiyero put his hands around her waist to steady himself from her vigorous rubbing.

"I love this position," he said in a husky tone.

It was only then that Elphaba realized that his eyes were just inches from her breasts.

She blushed a deep red, which made him chuckled. She stepped away.

"Why don't you do this yourself then?" She said, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

He grabbed her hands. "Elphaba, please don't do that. Morrible will expel me if I cannot get this off by tomorrow." He pleaded with his puppy dog eyes.

Elphaba sighed heavily before she continued.

"So," she started talking to stop herself from dwelling on how close they were physically. And also to fulfill her curiousity. "So what possessed you to do this?"

Fiyero replied after a while, his eyes closed to prevent her from accidentally poking them while rubbing around that area. "Remembered when you said that I did not know what I am getting myself into by dating a green girl?" He felt her stopped for a split second before she continued. There was no indication otherwise that she had heard what he said.

Fiyero continued. "Well, so I thought, if I was green too, when all those comments will be directed to me too. I want to know how you feel, Elphaba. I want to _feel_ how you feel. They can't fault two green people for being together. And you won't feel so insecure about the whole thing, because you will not be dating a prince. You will dating a green person. And I can be green as long as you want me to. I don't want you to feel low and unwanted just because your skin colour is different."

There was no reply from her, and Fiyero felt her moved her hand from his forehead to his nose. He let her worked in silence as she rubbed away the colour from his nose and then his cheeks.

"That was a stupid reason to paint yourself green," she told him.

"It's not a stupid reason. Not when you are so troubled by it," he replied.

She then pushed him away from her and worked on his chin.

He felt her moved away when she had rubbed on his chin for some time. And then he felt her wiped his face with the towel.

"It's done," she declared.

Fiyero opened his eyes to see Elphaba wiping her hands on his towel. He waited for her to finish wiping the oil and stain from her hands before he stretched out his hand. She passed the towel back to him without saying a word.

He carried the pail of water and the towel into the bathroom where he poured away the water and hung up the towel. He then took a quick look at himself in the mirror in the bathroom to double check that the green stain was gone completely. When he exited the bathroom, he took a brown shirt off the hook outside the bathroom and put it on. It was only when he was buttoning up his shirt that he noticed that Elphaba was leaning against his study table, her palms on the table. She was looking at him. She had been observing him while he was going around doing the chores, and he had not noticed it.

"I'm not an easy person to get along with," she told him. He wanted to say something, but he saw from her eyes that there was more to come, so he kept quiet.

"I'm stubborn and I'm bad tempered. I am not a sociable person. I liked to be alone. I loved to spend my time in the library. According to Galinda, I studied too much. I am competitive when it comes to my studies. And I don't like it when you try to treat me as if I am so fragile and helpless that I cannot carry my own books. I am not a Gillikin rose."

Fiyero looked at her. Her tone was slightly defiant, but her eyes said otherwise. He wanted to go towards her and pulled her into his arms but refrained from doing so. He was afraid that she would run away the moment he moved. Instead, he stood where he was, next to the door separating the bathroom and the bedroom.

"I'm an easy going person who can get along well with almost everyone," he said in an amiable tone.

"I'm cool about most things, and according to my friends, I am even tempered."

"I'm sociable but I leave my friends alone when they are not in the mood for socializing."

"I'll leave you alone when you want to spend time alone in the library. I don't like the library anyway."

"I don't mind if you get better grades than me, but I worried for your health when you studied too late into the night."

"You are not a Gillikin rose. But I wish that you will be my emerald rose."

He looked at her. She did not move from her place in front of the table.

"I'm a clumsy person," she said.

"I'm not looking for a waltz partner."

Elphaba looked down at her dress, picking at some invisible lint that only she could see.

"I might fall," she told her dress.

Elphaba continued to pick at her dress, letting the silence filled the air. After a while, when there was still no response, she began to wonder if he had somehow disappear from the room without her knowing. But she did not look up. She dared not look up. Maybe if she waited long enough, he would forget what she had said, because frankly speaking, she had no idea if it was the right thing to say. Maybe he would take it literally and not get the double meaning.

"Elphaba?" She heard her name being called. Elphaba looked up.

Fiyero was grinning at her from across the room.

"Take a chance, Elphaba. I'll catch you when you fall," he promised.

**A/N **

**I am very proud of Fiyero in this chapter (as if he was my son. lol!) Please review and tell me what you think!**

**Last night got another inspiration for another fiyeraba. Argh!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 **

**A/N Thank you to ToriJazz, Hollow'sXmas, BookWorm001, JCBoLt and Guest for the reviews. **

**Guest (is that you Silvine?), yeah, I got a iphone from my company too, but my personal phone is a Samsung S2 which I like better (bigger screen, better resolution). Too bad I cannot write my fanfic using it! :P**

Elphaba stayed in Fiyero's room after that.

She had wanted to leave as she was totally embarrassed by her own confession. Yet, she wanted to stay. She wanted to just stay in that corner of the room and watched Fiyero as he went about his business. She had watched him as he went about his chores. He moved about with grace, even when he was carrying the heavy pail of water. The gracefulness did not make him any less masculine. In fact, it enhanced his physical attractiveness, and led evidence of his refined upbringing. Elphaba wondered if the gracefulness was inborn, or if he had attended grooming classes when he was younger. She tried to imagine him trying to walk in a straight line with a book on top of his head, like what Galinda did in their room sometimes, and was unable to do so. To hide her nervousness, she turned her attention to the books that were on the table, and pulled one out. It was his Economics textbook, a subject that she had not taken and did not intend to take. She looked at him.

"May I?" She asked.

Fiyero nodded his head and smiled, and she started to read the book from where she was standing.

Fiyero looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She had just started reading his Economics textbook moments ago, and was now totally engrossed in it. He smiled to himself. He had wanted her to stay after the conversation that they had, but he did not want to scare her. Instead, he took out his book from his bag and settled down on his bed, trying to get some homework done. However, once in a while, he would look at her, to see what she was doing. She really seemed to be interested in that boring, thick textbook. He looked down when he saw that she was about to look up, hiding his grin behind his book. After a while, he would look at her again when she was not looking before he ducked behind his book again when she was about to look up again.

They remained like this for some time, until Elphaba slammed the book shut as she suddenly remembered her roommate.

"I got to go. Galinda must be worried."

Fiyero jumped out from his bed.

"I'll walk you back," he said quickly.

She gave him a glare. "I don't…. " and then stopped herself.

Fiyero gave her a smile when he reached her side. "You must get used to this," he teased as he opened the door.

The two of them walked back to Elphaba's room, side by side, close together but not touching.

Somewhere along one of the many corridors connecting the two dorms, Fiyero stopped and turned her to face him. He then touched her face gently and kissed her.

"This is for giving me a chance," he answered her questioning look.

He leaned in and kissed her again.

"And this?"

"Do I need a reason every time I kiss you? You must get used to this, Elphaba." he teased her, laughing softly.

She rolled her eyes.

"I don't adapt well to changes," she challenged him.

"I'll have to throw in some incentives then," he said as he brushed his thumb against her lips.

Elphaba blushed.

"Let's go," he said as he held out his hand for her, "Galinda must be hungry."

Elphaba held his hand, and they continued on their way.

They did not notice, but there were three students taking a shortcut on their way to one of the cafeterias. They had seen the back of a tall blonde guy, and had nudged one another silently when he realized that he was kissing a girl who was facing him. After a while, the guy had moved away from the girl, and he laughed over something before he held her hand and led her away. It was only then that the three realized that the person they had seen was Fiyero Tiggular, the hottest guy in the campus, and the girl was Elphaba Thropp, the girl whom they had just joked a few days ago as the girl in Shiz who was least likely to get a date. They could only watch in shock as the two of them walked away, holding hands.

The whole Shiz student population knew that they were an item before the day was over.

xxxxxxxxx

"It is amusing how suddenly everyone wanted to talk to me because my sister is dating a prince." Nessarse complained over lunch.

"My Elphie is popular!" Galinda exclaimed as she wrapped her arm around Elphaba's neck and pulled the green girl close to her until the sides of their heads touched.

"Popular. You'll gonna be popular.." she started singing an offkey song.

"Galinda!" Boq and Nessarose shouted in unison.

Galinda laughed but released Elphaba.

"What's so funny," Fiyero asked as he joined the table.

"Lin was singing," Elphaba explained.

Fiyero kissed her on the lips.

"Fiyero, may I remind you that the rest of us are at the same table as you," Nessarose told him.

"It's just a kiss, Nessa. I can give you one if you want to," he teased his girlfriend's sister.

"No thanks," she told him in a serious tone before she turned to her sister.

"Fabala, I hope that he is not more affectionate than this when it is just the two of you. The unnamed God frown upon promiscuous actions as I am sure you know."

"Nessa, look at him. He adores your sister. He will not dare to make any mistake because *poof* he will be history." Galinda said with a snap of her fingers.

"I hope you are right, Galinda," the younger Thropp sister told the blonde.

Elphaba knew she was blessed. She had Fiyero, a group of close friends and was learning new things from teachers who are passionate about teaching. She wished that good days like this would never end.

But the peaceful atmosphere at Shiz was soon to be broken.

Elphaba was in her Life Sciences class, waiting for Doctor Dillamond when another teacher came in, with a lion cub in a cage.

"Class, I am your new teacher, Doctor…." He never got to finish his sentence.

"Where is Doctor Dillamond?" Elphaba raised her hand and asked.

"Young lady, haven't you heard? The wizard had passed the law long ago. Animals are to be removed from their professions. It took Shiz this long to get the paperwork done. Doctor Dillamond is to leave the school with immediate effect."

"This is ridiculous. Animals are not animals. Why should they be removed from their jobs?" Elphaba said, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the tabletop. She wished that Mo, the senior student was here. He would be able to articulate better.

"Young lady, are you saying that the Wizard is wrong?" The new teacher challenged.

Elphaba felt all the eyes of her classmates on her. If she said that wizard was wrong, it would be deemed as treason.

"I …. I … I am going to find Doctor Dillamond," she blurted out as she ran out of her class.

Doctor Dillamond's office was a good way off, and the run to his office seemed like eternity. She ran as fast as she could, and would not have stopped if someone had not grabbed her.

"Hey, stopped, Elphaba!" A familiar voice called out as she felt someone grabbed her around the waist. "Where are you going?"

She turned. It was Fiyero, concern written all over his face.

"I got to go, Fiyero. They dismissed Doctor Dillamond. I got to talk to him!" She told him.

He only held on tighter.

"No, Elphaba. Everything is under control. He is packing now. "

"Yes, he is packing. They dismissed him and he is just going to go like that? Without a fight?" Elphaba raised her voice. A few students stopped and stared at her.

"Elphaba, trust me. There is nothing you can do. Just let him go." Fiyero tried to calm her down, his arms still around her. She refused to listen as she struggled to get out of his grasp. In her desperation, she stepped on one of his feet. Fiyero yelled out in pain and let go of her, and she continued to run the rest of the way to Doctor Dillamond's office, only to find him all packed and giving his office a fond final look.

"Doctor Dillamond!" She called him. "Why are you leaving?"

The Goat turned around and saw his favorite student. "Miss Thropp," he greeted her. "The Wizard had passed the motion. No Animal is allowed to work in professions anymore. Madame Morrible is just doing her job."

"But this is ridiculous. Animals are not animals. They are capable of speech, human-level thinking and emotions. How can they be grouped together? I remember you've mentioned that you had done some research on the brain structure of Animals and animals and men. Let's show it to the Wizard. That can make him change his mind." Elphaba pleaded.

Doctor Dillamond shook his head. "It's alright, dear. I will be fine. Now don't you worry. Go back to the class. I am sure the replacement teacher is waiting."

Elphaba was speechless. Doctor Dillamond had always spoken of rights, especially Animal rights, and was passionate in whatever he did. What happened to that spirit?

"But where are you going?" She asked.

"Well, Mr Tiggular had made some arrangements…"

"Fiyero?"

"Yes, me." Elphaba heard a voice behind and spun around. Fiyero was leaning against the door frame of Doctor Dillamond's office, his arms crossed. The light from outside formed a silhouette and she could not see the expression on his face but he sounded emotionless.

"The Vinkun Council had extended an invitation for Doctor Dillamond to go over to Vinkus, where he will be tasked with working with a team to deal with the possibility of setting up a school of higher learning within Vinkus itself. If the plan goes well, he will be part of the pioneer batch to run the school, where he can also continue to teach."

He came into the room, and Elphaba could finally see his expression. He was not happy.

"Why didn't I know about this?" Elphaba whispered.

"Because, Miss Thropp," Fiyero's voice was cold. "This is instructed by my father, and I am not at a liberty to share such information with you."

Elphaba did not reply. She knew that Fiyero sometimes would help his father to pass some message or make some arrangements and she was not privy to such information. However, deep inside, she was angry that he had kept such an important piece of information from her.

It was Doctor Dillamond who broke the silence.

"Miss Thropp, you have a bright future ahead of you. You are a smart and passionate student. Politics is a cruel game, and definitely not for you. Some battles … are not for you to fight," he told her. "Study hard, and who knows, we will meet again." He opened his arms for a hug, and Elphaba embraced her ex-teacher.

"Goodbye, Miss Thropp. Thank you, Mr Tiggular," the Goat said as farewell.

After he was gone, Elphaba stood there, looking down at her shoes.

"Well?" She heard Fiyero asked. She mumbled something.

"What? I didn't hear that."

"I'm sorry." She told him.

She heard him walked towards her and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry too." He told her as he rested his chin on top of her head. "I'm sorry that even though I asked you to tell me everything, I have to hide certain things from you. You know that my father asked me to run 'errands' for him sometimes and this is one of them."

Elphaba nodded.

They stood like that for a long time, arms around each other. And then Elphaba told him.

"Well, actually, I have something to tell you."

"Yes?"

"I am only sorry that I stepped on your foot."

Fiyero laughed.

**A/N Not doing the Lion Cub scene, since it had been beautifully done by at least 2 authors recently…. Review please!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

**A/N Thank you JCBoLt, LiveLifeWrite and James Birdsong for your reviews.**

**JCBoLt, it's the same with me when I read other fanfics. A certain part will just catch my attention, so you are definitely not irrelevant. Even a review saying 'like' or 'please update' will brighten up my day! :)**

**LiveLifeWriter, thanks for the glowing review. I hope the rest of the chapters will give you as much joy as chapter 6 :)**

**And thanks for the favourites and alerts! I am surprised by the lower traffic flow compared to 4 Weeks though.**

"Elphie, I really hate sorcery class," Galinda pretended to wail. The two girls had just finished their sorcery class, and were making their way to a pre-arranged lunch appointment with Boq and Fiyero.

Elphaba half-listened as her roommate rattled on about how much she hated sorcery class and how sarcastic Madame Morrible was during class as her mind wandered. Yesterday was Wednesday, and Wednesday was the only weekday which Galinda had classes in the afternoon while she and Fiyero had their afternoon free. So Wednesday afternoon became 'Fiyero Wednesday', where she would spend the whole afternoon with him doing things together or doing nothing at all.

On that day, he had some homework to do, and so Elphaba took a library book and sat on the middle of his bed and read. She was so engrossed in her book that she did not notice when he had completed his homework and had climbed on the bed and kneeled behind her.

She dropped her book when she suddenly felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.

"You gave me a shock!" she chided him as she picked up the book.

"You are going to a hell of a backache sitting like this," he whispered into her ear as he started kneading her shoulders.

"Well, you took the only chair in the room," she told him as he began to massage her neck. Elphaba relaxed as his fingers slowly loosened the muscles on her neck and shoulders. He finished it off with a kiss on her neck.

"Thank you," she said.

"Elphaba, am I the perfect boyfriend?" he asked.

Elphaba turned and looked at him with a frown.

"Did you do something wrong?" she asked.

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Me? No. I am the perfect boyfriend. I am just doing … what do you call it… a milestone check?"

Elphaba had laughed. "Am I a school project?"

"A love project," he told her as he pulled her to him for a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

"I love you," he told her in between kisses as he lowered her onto the bed. Elphaba pulled him down for another kiss. She did not say the words back to him, but she assumed that he knew how she felt. Last time she would have laughed her head off if anyone had told her that it was possible to read somebody's mind. She never believed in such cheesy stuff, until now. Because sometimes it did feel as if he could read her mind. As if being in a relationship would give him insight into her mind. Elphaba smiled at the term relationship. It was such an foreign concept to her just a short time ago, and now here she was, in a relationship with a charming boy who gave her everything and asked for nothing in return, except for her love.

"Why are you smiling?" Fiyero said as he traced a line from her cheek to her jaw using his finger.

"Nothing," was all she said.

Fiyero smiled at her, his eyes bright as he gazed at her.

"I love you too," he told her, proving her belief that he knew what she was thinking about.

She felt one of his hands clasped her hand over her head as he kissed from the inside of her forearm to her neck to her lips again, while his other hand sent feathery touches to her senses when he started to unbutton her blouse. She knew that she should get him to stop, but she found herself yearning for him every time he was close. And it was so easy to give in to what he wanted, what she wanted. Elphaba closed her eyes and heard herself gave a soft moan when he slipped his hand under her blouse and caress her skin.

Then there was a knock on the door. She opened her eyes.

Fiyero groaned and made a face.

"Can I pretend that I am not in?" he asked.

She shook her head with a smile.

He gave her a quick kiss on her lips before he got off the bed and went to open the door slightly so that whoever that was outside would not see the bed.

"Hi, am I disturbing anything?" Elphaba heard Boq's familiar voice.

Fiyero ran his hand through his hair as he tried to cool down.

"No," he tried to say in a friendly tone. "How can I help you?"

"There was a letter for you at the administrative office and the staff there mentioned that you had not dropped by for a few days so I thought I'd just collect for you," Boq explained as he passed Fiyero a letter.

Fiyero took over the letter in Boq's hand and looked at it with a frown.

He thanked Boq, closed the door and went back to the bed. But the moment was gone and the rest of the day was uneventful.

"Elphie! Are you listening?" Galinda asked, bringing Elphaba back to reality.

"Sorry, Lin. I was wool gathering," Elphaba apologized.

"Wool or wool gathering?" Galinda giggled, as if there was a difference if the wool was gathered from a Sheep or a sheep.

She rolled her eyes.

"Anyway," the blonde continued. "I am wondering if I should drop sorcery."

"I thought it was the class that you had most wanted to attend?" Elphaba asked her roommate.

"Yes, I wanted to attend. But I never know that it is so hard! It made me feel like breaking my wand," she confessed as she tried to snap her slim, off-pink wand into two pieces. She gave up in frustration after a few unsuccessful tries.

"Well, you wanted to get into sorcery class, and I got you in. Shouldn't you prove to me that I have made the right choice in asking Madame Morrible to let you join the class?"

Galinda sighed. "Maybe I didn't have aptitude."

"Nobody said sorcery is easy."

"But it looked so easy to you! It took you just a tick-tock to learn the lighting spell, and cloud spell, and just one lesson for that imaging thing! That was so cool!" Galinda said she gestured with both hands to mimic the dragon that Elphaba had conjured up during class.

"Well, you did get your lighting spell and cloud spell after a while right? It's a learning curve. You will find easier the more you practise."

"I don't want to keep practicing, Elphie. I want to get it right the first time, just like you! And now Madame Morrible is going to give you extra coaching. I am so jealous!"

Elphaba smiled at her roommate. "Everyone has their strengths, Lin. You are good in so many things, isn't it time for me to have a strength too?"

Galinda pouted, then smiled and patted Elphaba on her arm. "Oh, Elphie. You are so modest. You have so many strengths. It's just that you downplay them."

Elphaba smiled affectionately at her. "Well, you have many strengths too, Lin."

Just then, they spotted Boq and Fiyero seated at their usual place for lunch. The two of them were talking about something, but stopped the moment they saw the two girls approaching. Their faces lit up, for different reasons.

"How's sorcery class?" Fiyero asked the two girls as they sat down.

"Elphie conjured up this dragon! It was impressifying!" Galinda said.

"Dragon?" The boys were curious.

"Just one of the first things that came into my mind. Madame Morrible wanted us to conjure up an image of something that can move, so I did it for the second thing that came into my mind." She told them.

"What was the first thing that came into your mind?" Fiyero asked.

"You," she admitted. The first thing that came into her mind was Fiyero. The way a single touch from him could drive the stress away, and the way a single kiss could make her feel warm all over. She did not say it out loud of course. He seemed to have read her mind though.

"I love the way your mind works." Fiyero told her as he stood up and pulled her close for a lingering kiss. Boq looked away and coughed to hide his embarrassment while Galinda giggled.

"Oh, and Madame Morrible gave Elphie a blank piece of old paper and she just see words on it and then read some of it."

"A blank piece of paper? And you see words? That's interesting." Boq said. "What language was it?"

Elphaba shook her head as she sat on the empty seat next to Fiyero. "I don't know what language it was. It just appeared on its own after a while. And I just know how to read it. It seemed to be a riddle, or a spell."

Galinda nodded her head. "I couldn't see anything though. Of course Madame Morrible was very impressed. She said that Elphie is very talented and maybe she can arrange for her to go to Emerald City to visit the Wizard!"

Elphaba smiled. "Galinda, you dramatise the whole thing again as usual. Although I would like to meet the Wizard. There are some things that I would like to talk to him about."

Fiyero looked at her. "Actually meeting the wizard is not the only thing that you can do in the Emerald City. I was thinking of asking you later, but since we are on this topic, are you free two weekends from now?"

"Yes. Why?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero told her. "I got a letter from my parents yesterday. They are swinging by the Emerald City later this month and would want me to meet them there for the weekend. And they would like to meet you."

Elphaba's eyes went wide.

"Emerald City! I've never been there. Can I go too?" Galinda squealed with delight as she tugged on Fiyero's arms. "I want to watch the Wizardmania and go to the Emerald Boulevard with its high-end shops of clothes and bags! I've heard that they have the latest fashion! The biggest Oz'Coulture outlet can be found there! And the shops there have this magic mirrors that will show you how you look like with the latest pieces when you stand in front of them! I've even heard that some shops are so customer oriented they have staff that will serve you tea and biscuits while you are shopping! Please Fiyero please!"

Fiyero laughed as he tried to untangle himself from the excited blonde. "I don't think I can ask you along, Galinda."

She pouted. "Why can't I come along?"

"My parents asked to meet my girlfriend, not you," he said matter-of-factly. "I will get into trouble if I turned up with two ladies." He turned to the girlfriend in question. "So do you want to go?"

Elphaba stammered. "Your … your parents … know about me?"

"Of course," Fiyero told her.

"Do they know that I am green?" She asked, her voice softer. Boq and Galinda kept quiet, their eyes darting from Fiyero to Elphaba and back again.

Fiyero patted her hand reassuringly. "I've told them, and they are fine with it."

"Really?"

Fiyero smiled at her. "Have I ever lied to you?"

She shook her head.

"So can I tell them that you are going?" He asked her eagerly.

"Let me think about it."

He kissed her again. "Let me know soon so that I can make the necessary arrangements. My parents have a two bedroom house just inside Emerald City, so accommodation will not be a problem. We will go there on Friday afternoon, stay there overnight, meet my parents on Saturday, leave on Sunday morning after breakfast and be back by Sunday night."

"You've got it all planned out," she told him, a little smile on her lips.

Fiyero shrugged. "One person, two person, the plan is the same."

"Go Elphaba, go! Then you can come back and tell me all about it!" Galinda told her as she started to tug on her best friend's arm instead.

"Alright, I'll go," she said, much to Fiyero's delight.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elphaba did not pack much as it was only a three day trip. However, she was meeting the King and Queen of the Arjiki tribe, and Galinda decided that she just had to loan her some clothes. And some makeup. And heels. And hats. And accessories.

"Galinda! I am going for only three days and I only intend to bring one small luggage!" Elphaba told her.

"But you are meeting Fiyero's parents! Shouldn't you put on a bit makeup?"

"Galinda, you know me. I cannot put on proper makeup to save my life. I will look like a clown."

Galinda thought for a while, a finger tapping on her lips. "That's true."

In the end, Galinda only managed to make Elphaba bring along the same white and blue dress that she wore on the date to Grommie's and rouge for her lips.

Nessarose gave her a warning before she left.

"Do not do anything that you will regret," was all she said.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fiyero was waiting outside her classroom when her class ended on Friday early afternoon with a haversack on his back and a small luggage at his side.

"What did you bring? A full set of makeup?" She asked him teasingly as she walked to his side.

He gave her a peck on her lips. "Don't tease me. I got to meet my parents and they don't appreciate sloppiness."

She looked at him. "Does that mean that I will be underdressed?"

Fiyero chuckled. "You're different. You look good no matter what you wear."

"I thought that was you."

"No, that was you. My beautiful emerald girlfriend."

"Flattery." Elphaba chided him, but smiled.

They went back to her room for her small luggage ("Are you sure you have packed enough?" Fiyero asked) and then set off in the carriage that Fiyero had arranged.

**A/N The blank piece of paper is actually a piece of Gimmerie (this part is inspired by the book when Elphaba took a page of the Gimmerie to show to the wizard when she tried to exchange for Nor's freedom)**

**Please review! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**A/N Reworked the few chapters that was about the visit to Emerald City, and removed some conversation that did not make sense and some description. So this fanfic will be shorter than its original 28 chapters. And I hope the abrupt jump to the next day did not confuse anyone.**

**JCBoLt, your review really brighten my day! ****Notice that you had a Fiyeraba that is incomplete. Please continue to update it. ****Thank you for favouriting :)**

**ToriJazz, oopss, his parents are not appearing in this chapter..but they will, in the next (but not much 'airtime')**

**BookWorm001, yeah, the book is definitely much darker than the musical**

**LittleMissDelirious, thank you so much for reviewing! There might not be many reviews for LTLOAD , but I think your readers love you. Go check out the nominations for the 6****th**** Annual wicked awards – your name is there! BTW, what happened to ALAYL? That story got me googling for cartography! **

**Been having a tough week at work, and things could get worse. If that happened, my weekly posting could be affected so pray hard! Actually had a Lurlinemas oneshot half-written but had to put it on hold due to the mess at work. **

It was the state between sleep and consciousness, and Fiyero was first aware of the chill in the air followed by the sound of birds chirping as they started their day in the pre-dawn hours. As his brain slowly woke up, memories of the previous day came back. He remembered the ride to town, followed by an uneventful train ride to Emerald City, and then another carriage ride to the two storey house that his parents had owned in Emerald City. Dinner was at a simple café nearby, just the two of them.

He opened his eyes, half expecting to find himself alone on the bed.

He was not.

Next to him was his emerald rose, with her eyes closed. The comforter was pulled over her shoulders, and held in place by her hand at the front of her body, effectively covering up almost every part of her body. She was facing him, her long hair flowing down her back and onto the bed like the most exquisite Vinkun silk. She slept with her mouth closed, but not tightly, and Fiyero felt like bending down just to kiss her.

Fiyero was reminded of an old bedtime story that his nanny told him when he was young. There was a hunter who had gotten lost in the forest. He stumbled upon a cottage in the middle of the forest and found a beautiful lady who lived alone in the forest. And the two fell in love, with the hunter ignorant that the lady was actually a faery. Fiyero could not remember what happened after that, but at that moment, he felt like he was the hunter when he first came upon the faery in her bed.

He was not surprised that it happened. What surprised him was how vividly he remembered. He remembered her kisses, the hesitant touches of her fingers, and her shyness. He remembered the doubt in her eyes when she thought that she was not beautiful enough for him. He remembered the way her body felt under his, skin against skin. And the way she tasted when he kissed her as she gave herself to him.

He could not help but reach out his hand and brushed his thumb against her cheek.

Her eye lashes fluttered, and then she opened her eyes.

"Good morning," he smiled at her.

He watched her as she smiled back at him, and then she blush a deep red when memories of the previous night came back to her.

Fiyero moved closer to her and gave a kiss on her lips, and then pulled down the comforter so that he could kiss an exposed shoulder.

Elphaba attempted to cover up again, but Fiyero placed his hand on hers.

"You're beautiful," he told her.

"I'm cold, and do not relish the idea of getting pneumonia," she scoffed.

He laughed. "I know of just the way to keep the cold away," he said as he pulled her close to him.

Barely two hours later, the two of them were dressed and ready. Well, Fiyero was dressed and ready. Elphaba was dressed and all jittery. He noticed it.

"I thought the brave Miss Elphaba Thropp is not afraid of anything. So why you so scared of meeting a pair of old folks?" he teased her.

"I'm not scared," she insisted. "And they are not old folks. They are _your_ folks."

She turned around and tugged at the dress, checking to make sure that no bruise would show unexpectedly on her neck or shoulder around the edge of the dress when she moved. She was not expecting any, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"No hickey," Fiyero teased her as he looked at her image in the mirror. "Though I can give you some tonight if you want," he kissed her on her neck as he made eye contact with her image in the mirror.

Elphaba made sure that their eyes were locked before she rolled her eyes at him.

By the time they went downstairs, a pre-arranged carriage was waiting. It took them to a fancier part of the Emerald City. Elphaba noticed that the buildings there were newer, cleaner.

Many of the buildings were in green. It would look terrible if all the green was the same shade. However, they were not. Instead, the buildings were in different shades of green, ranging from light green to dark green and the many shades in between. The most popular shade was, unsurprising, emerald green. Once in a while, there would be a brown or white building, which was a refreshing change.

The carriage brought them to a nice little coffeehouse as directed by Fiyero.

"This is the heart of Emerald City." Fiyero told her as they got out of the carriage. Elphaba looked at the skyline. She could see a tall castle-like structure with tall towers and pointed roofs behind the shops and buildings

"The Wizard's Palace," she said to herself.

"Come on," Fiyero told her. "This place served the best breakfast."

They went into the coffeehouse, and Fiyero asked for a window seat. Elphaba ordered pancakes, while Fiyero ordered double serving of omelette with ham. Both of them requested for coffee.

From their window seat, Elphaba was able to look out at the street and people watch without being seen. They took their breakfast in silence, as it was too early for Fiyero to talk much. After a while, Elphaba began to notice that it was getting brighter outside. She looked out of the window and saw the Wizard Palace silhouetted against the rising sun. As the sun climbed higher, its light shined through between the towers, and through the windows of the Palace, and it looked as if the Wizard's residence was a sun itself, giving off its own light.

She turned to Fiyero, who had watched her with a smile on his face.

"It's beautiful," she told him.

"Wait till you see sunrise over Kiamo Ko. It's even better."

As the sun rose, the city came alive. Elphaba could see a few shops opening for business, as lights were turned on inside the shops, and the owners flipped their 'Closed' sign around to show that they were opened for business. More and more people poured into the streets. Many of them were neatly, if not nicely dressed, even if they were just running an errand or buying the newspapers. A few of them came into the coffeehouse and ordered breakfast for takeaway, leaving the place with a nondescript paper bag.

After watching for a while, Elphaba noticed that the people had something in common. They would all try to have something green on them. It could be a green scarf, a green handkerchief peeping out of a breast pocket, or a pair of green socks for the men. For the women, she could be wearing a green dress, or a hat with green ribbon, or a green handbag. It was as if they were paying their daily tribute to the city by donning her colour.

Fiyero had their itinerary planned out. Unlike many first visitors, he did not get tickets for Wizomania. He did not want anything that would remind Elphaba of the Wizard (watching the sun rose behind the Wizard Palace was an exception).

He brought her to Emerald Boulevard; the shops there opened surprisingly early and there were some customers – mainly the wives and daughters from the high society who visited the shops regularly to make sure they were seen only wearing the latest fashion. Fiyero got a shopping request from Galinda, and with Elphaba in tow, marched into Oz'Couture and asked for the whole set of the latest pink candy series of handbags and matching accessories, which was launched the day before and only available for walk-in customers. As he was writing down the delivery address for the staff to deliver the purchase to Shiz, a pretty blonde wearing a blue dress with matching crystal earrings (which most probably cost more than Elphaba's whole wardrobe in Shiz) tried to strike up a conversation with Fiyero.

"Buying something for your girlfriend?" she asked as she twirled her hair with her finger and batted her eyelids at Fiyero.

"For a friend," he informed her, which made the girl very happy.

"I'm Elia, " she reached out her hand for a handshake which Fiyero took. "I don't think I've seen you before."

"Hi, my name is Fiyero. I'm from Shiz," he informed her.

"Oh, a university student," Elia replied appreciatively. Elphaba could almost hear her brain planning for their wedding.

"So are you here alone?" She asked, effectively ignoring the presence of Elphaba who was just next to him.

Fiyero finished writing the address on the delivery slip and thanked the staff over the counter.

"I'm with my girlfriend," he told Elia as he reached for Elphaba's hand. "Elia, this is Elphaba. Elphaba, meet Elia, whom I have just met."

Elphaba stretched out her hand for a handshake and saw the blonde visually recoiled. She composed herself, however, within a tick tock and smiled at Fiyero again.

"Well, you could do better, Fiyero, if you know what I mean," Elia batted her eyelids again.

"I'm with the best, Elia. And is there something in your eye? Elphaba could blow it out if you want to?" Fiyero asked innocently.

Elia fled.

"You're good," Elphaba chuckled.

"Thank you," he gave a slight bow. "I'm learning from the best," he teased her as he placed her hand on the crook of his arm.

They went to the main shopping area, where they bought souvenirs for their friends; and he showed her the old architectural buildings around Emerald City (not that he was an expert in architecture, but Elphaba was kind enough to point out a thing or two). They visited the famous Emerald City Main Library (where he had to pull her out after a while) and the famous Emerald City Art Museum (avoiding the Emerald City Museum as Fiyero knew that it would be filled with the typical Wizard propaganda).

There was this big bookstore and Elphaba wandered inside. She picked up a thick, leather-bound book about the first people of Oz and started reading. Fiyero got bored and left her alone as he looked at the nearby shops. One hour later, he went back and found her standing in the same spot, still engrossed in the same book.

"Is the book that interesting or is being with me so boring?" he asked as he lifted the book from her hands.

Elphaba protested.

"Alright, I get the hint. I'm getting this book for you, else we will be stuck here forever," he told her as he took the book to the cashier.

"I'll pay for it," she insisted as she tried to catch up with him. Fiyero suddenly stopped and turned back to face her, and she walked straight into him.

"Did you do that on purpose?" he teased her. She blushed.

"Fine," he said, switching back to their original topic easily. "I will let you pay only if you promised not to touch this book again until we are back in Shiz. Else I will never be able to get you out of the house."

After getting the book wrapped up, they left the bookstore and walked around, looking at the shops and soaking in the atmosphere.

As they walked along the streets, some people looked at them – the handsome young man and his green companion, and some even gazed in wonder at her skin colour. Elphaba did not feel any hostility from any of them (except from Elia at Oz'Couture).

She pointed out to him.

"Of course. You are green. It's the colour of Emerald City. I will not be surprised if the next fashion craze here is to paint one's skin green."

"Like what you did?" Elphaba teased him.

Fiyero grinned at her. "I guess I could be considered to be at the forefront of fashion then?"

Elphaba laughed and leaned closer to him as they continued to walk.

They walked further and further away from the city centre, and wandered into a street market of some sorts. There were different stalls selling different kinds of food, and the two bought some fried fritters that came with a small cup of sweet sauce. Elphaba held the cup of sauce in her hand, and as she was busy looking around, she did not notice the uneven cobblestones on the ground and stumbled. Fiyero grabbed her elbow but the damage was done – she spilled some of the sweet sauce on her dress.

They went to a nearby waffle place and Elphaba went to the washroom to clean up the stain. She went back a while later, with a huge patch of tainted water stain on her dress.

"I can't wash it off," she told him, looking worried.

Fiyero did not seem concern, and even ordered waffle and ice cream.

"It's past lunch," he reminded her.

They had a light lunch at the waffle place, and then Fiyero led her through the maze of buildings again where they emerged into a street where she could see the Wizard's Palace in the near distance again.

In front of them was a three storey brick building with the words 'The Emerald'. It was painted green, of course. Even the windows were green. There was a pair of doorman dressed in starched uniforms at the main entrance, and a kindly looking old man, who bowed when he saw them, though Elphaba thought she saw him giving a critical look at the stain on her dress.

"Good afternoon, Sir. Good afternoon, Miss. Welcome to The Emerald."

Fiyero gave him a short nod, reached for Elphaba's hands, and went in.

The lobby was thankfully not predominantly green. The floor was made of some material that Elphaba could not identified, but it was so shiny that she could almost see the inside of her skirt when she looked down at the smudge reflection of herself on the floor. There were pillars, green with hints of gold, at the corners of the lobby, raising high into the ceiling that was three storeys high. In front of them were two winding staircases, one leading to the second floor and one to the third floor. On the two upper floors were two corridors that led away from them, and Elphaba assumed that they led to the rooms.

There was a reception counter on the right of the lobby. Behind the counter was a staff who was talking to an older man over the counter. There was no one else in the lobby.

The staff noticed their presence, and said something to the older man, who in turn turned and looked at them. A smile graced his face, and he quickly came towards the couple.

"Prince Fiyero." He bowed to the prince, and then gave him a hug.

"Marman," Fiyero hugged him in return. He turned to Elphaba. "Elphaba, this is Marman, my father's valet and also a trusted friend. Marman, this is Elphaba Thropp."

Elphaba looked at Marman. He wore a simple dark coat over a white shirt and dark pants, and had the air of a teaching professor. And there was that smile that had been on his face since he saw Fiyero. Somehow, Elphaba got a feeling that the smile was genuine and he really liked the prince.

"Come on, I asked the staff to get some tea for you. And the tailor is on the way," he said.

Elphaba turned and looked at Fiyero.

"You're making your clothes here?"

Fiyero grinned at her.

"_We_ are," he told her. "We are going to attend a function."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

**A/N Thank you JCBoLt and LittleMIssDelirious for the reviews! and the new favouriting :)**

**JCBoLt, I think you must be the only reviewer who calls Fiyero a sly dog lol. Which made me wonder if I should have retained the chapter which had a long winded conversation between the couple about Fiyero's scandalicious reputation and also what happened the night before (that is, it was mutual physical attraction and consensual). **

**LittleMissDelirious, enjoy your trip! **** :) What was the conspiracy involving the maps in ALAYL btw (I really am very very curious). And no, I don't have **_**tons**_** of readers.**

**BTW, for those who did not know, I manage to get my Lurlinemas one-shot up BEFORE Christmas (yay to me!)**

"Are you out of your mind?" she spun around and hissed at Fiyero the moment Marman brought them to a tea room on the third floor and left them alone.

Fiyero had expected this.

"What?" he acted nonchalantly, as he looked at her eyes and noticed the slight redness that would be there. He might not know her inside out, but he knew her well enough to know that sometimes she would use anger to hide the fact that she was upset. Like now.

"You said your parents wanted to meet me, and now it turned out to be a function? I thought it was just a simple dinner."

"That was the original plan, but then one of the Vinkun merchants got wind of their visit and decided to organise a dinner for them."

"And didn't it occur to you to let me know about this?"

"I don't think it mattered," he shrugged. He knew that it mattered. He also knew that if she would not come if she had known about the change of plans before they left for the Emerald City.

"It mattered!"

"Why?"

Just then, the door opened, revealing Marman and a staff of the hotel carrying a tray of cakes and coffee.

"Am I interrupting something?" Marman asked when he saw the two of them standing there and the looks on their face.

"No." They both replied.

The staff put on the tray down on the table and left with Marman.

Elphaba sat down on the couch. Fiyero joined her.

"I don't attend functions," she said simply as she put a slice of cake on a plate and took a bite.

"There's always a first time," he told her as he placed a hand on her knee.

"Not for this. "

"Why?"

"I can't talk. I can't dance. I don't look good dressed up. And I am not going to stand there and be an exhibit."

Fiyero chuckled, and got a glare from her.

"It's a dinner. There is no dancing involved. And I don't need you to entertain anyone. Just be yourself. And you are not going to be an exhibit. You are here to meet my parents. It's not that easy to find a slot to meet them."

She wanted to say that she did not see a need to meet his parents, but bit her lips.

"We will leave early if anyone made you uncomfortable," he promised her.

"Wouldn't that be rude?"

"I will just say the lady is tired."

"What lady?" she asked.

Fiyero lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.

"This lady," he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"You can be such a charmer, Fiyero," she told him.

"I'm glad you approve."

The tailor came soon after, bearing the clothes. The clothes were already made, and a final fitting was required to ensure that they fit.

"I simply told Marman that you preferred something dark and simple," Fiyero explained, when she came out wearing a dark blue dress. The dress was made of silk, and Elphaba had never worn silk before. The material felt smooth against her skin, and she finally understood why Galinda insisted on only wearing silk to bed. The neckline was wide, which accentuated Elphaba's slender neck and collarbone. The dress had short, slightly wide sleeves, a white sash in the middle and ended slightly below her knees.

"I think it fits," Fiyero said as he ran his hand down the length of the dress to check for any bulges, and Elphaba felt a shiver ran down her spine. She wished that he didn't have that effect on her.

"You could be a fashion consultant if you ever get sick of working for my father, Marman," he turned to Marman, who accepted the compliment with a bow.

Fiyero's clothes, however, required a bit of altering.

"I've put on weight!" He said in mock terror.

"It's comes with being in a stable relationship, Your Highness," Marman informed him. "You started to forget about maintaining your diet, your looks and stopped exercising because you know that she would love you no matter how badly maintained you are." He patted his slight tummy as proof.

Elphaba could not help it. "Are the two of you related?"

The two men laughed.

The tailor even brought along a pair of heels to match with the dress, but Elphaba declined.

"I would trip and fall, and embarrass myself," she explained.

The tailor came back one hour before the dinner with the alternations done. He had also made a wide hairband with extra fabric left over from the white sash. Hairband was more of Nessarose's thing, but Elphaba was outvoted by the three men in the room.

"Tell me why I am doing this," she asked Fiyero as she sat down in front of the vanity table in the next room and let the newly arrived makeup lady worked on her.

"Because you love me?" he teased her.

"You're manipulative." She told him.

"You loved being manipulated by me," he whispered into her ear and then kissed her on her cheek. And was promptly scolded by the makeup lady who claimed that he had ruined 'the primer' and applied more of the same stuff on Elphaba's face in retaliation.

She was there, her face held hostage by the makeup lady when she heard the door opened behind her and somebody came in.

The makeup lady stopped her work and greeted the King and Queen.

"Father. Mother." She heard Fiyero greeted his parents.

Elphaba stood up and turned around.

"My son," Fiyero's father replied. His mother, however, came over and gave him a hug.

"My dear boy," she said after she had released him.

"Elphaba, these are my parents – King Marillot and Queen Baxiana of the Arjiki tribe. Father, mother, I would like you to meet Elphaba Thropp, from Munchkinland."

At the moment, Elphaba forgot what she was supposed to do though Galinda had made her rehearse twice. Was she supposed to bow? Curtsey? Was she supposed to address them as Your Majesties?

The Queen saved her from further embarrassment by reaching for her hands.

"So we've finally met, dear. The letters that Fiyero wrote home were filled with 'Elphaba this' and 'Elphaba that'." Turning to her husband, the queen added, "Isn't she a pretty little thing?"

The king only grunted in answer.

Elphaba did not like to call 'little thing', but both the King and Queen were tall and broad shouldered, and while she was just one head shorter than Fiyero, she was definitely much thinner, which most probably gave the impression of being 'little'. She wondered what would the Queen used to describe Boq and Galinda if she ever meet them. Minute? Pixie? Or simply munchkin-bits?

"Would you like me to do your makeup for you today, Your Majesty?" The makeup lady asked.

"No worries, I can handle my makeup. Why don't you continue to work on Elphaba? Then you can do my hair later." The Queen told her graciously.

"I'm almost done with her, her Majesty. There is nothing much I could do for her, her skin does not take colours very well," she made it sound like a flaw.

"I think she is pretty enough without any excessive makeup," the Queen commented as she gave Elphaba a genuine smile.

Elphaba took a quick look at the King. His hair was starting to grey and there were lines on his face, but she could easily see where Fiyero got his good looks from. He seemed to be the quiet, grumpy kind though. Elphaba had to assume that Fiyero got his charms from his mother.

"Well, dear," the Queen addressed Elphaba as the makeup lady started to work on her hair. "So I understand that the two of you are classmates in Shiz."

Elphaba nodded.

"How is Fiyero in school? He had been giving so much trouble in his previous universities that I had to admit we were caught off guard when he managed to stay for more than one term in Shiz."

"I had good influence, Mother," Fiyero replied. His mother smiled.

"So let me more about yourself," Queen Baxiana asked.

What was it? A job interview?

"Mother!"

The Queen laughed.

"Alright, how did you and Fiyero meet? Were the two of you classmates?"

"He was dating my roommate," Elphaba replied matter-of-factly.

Fiyero could see that Marmon was trying very hard not to laugh.

The Queen looked amused. "Well, I can't say my son had the best reputation in Vinkus. But I can see that you have been setting a good example for him."

"She is the top student in Shiz last year, Mother," Fiyero interjected.

"Son," the King interrupted, "can you just let the girl talk?"

Fiyero gave a nervous laugh. "She's not much of a talker."

"She won't learn how to speak if you keep answering on her behalf."

"My King," the Queen chided her husband gently.

The dinner was held at one of the function rooms downstairs. Everybody was waiting by the time they went down. The King and Queen went in first, and the people in the room were so busy talking to them and shaking their hands that everyone was seated by the time they noticed the green girl in the room.

The king sat on one end of the table, the queen on his right side, and Elphaba and Fiyero on his left. Fiyero let Elphaba sit on his right so that she was the first in the row, away from the merchants and held her hand until dinner was served. The significance was not lost to anyone, who subdued even the glances on the green girl.

One of the Vinkuns, by the name of Westerlot, made a speech and dinner was served.

Fiyero had conveyed to Marman that Elphaba was vegetarian, and was glad to note that his old friend had asked the kitchen to prepare some vegetarian dishes for her.

The topics during dinnertime were centred on business and politics. The merchants tried to find out more about any potential changes in trade agreements, and complained about the newly imposed taxes by Emerald City. The King listened and nodded, and assured them that their concerns would be looked into. The Queen tried to talk to her over the table, but conversation was difficult with the men speaking louder than usual.

After a while, Elphaba excused herself and went to the washroom.

She found the washroom without problem, but got lost on her way back. She walked for some time, and then turned a corner and found herself in a long corridor with windows. The windows opened out to outside. At the end of the corridors was a pair of door leading to what she believed was the kitchen, based on the sounds that came out from it. There was no one in the corridor and she contemplated if she should go in and ask for directions.

She was about to walk towards the kitchen when she heard some shouting outside. And then to her surprise, she saw someone trying to climb in through the window. A fat, dark skinned person with bushy hair. Elphaba stood there, stunned, as the person squeezed through the window, landed on the floor and stood up. And she found herself face to face with a bear.

Scratch that. It was not a bear. It was a Bear. A full grown Bear with a well-worn shirt and tattered pants. A Bear whom, she knew, should not be seen in Emerald City because Animals were no longer allowed in the Emerald City.

The Bear looked at her, shocked.

"It must be somewhere," one of the voices outside the window said.

"Could it have climbed into the building, Captain?" another voice.

"There is a door ahead. Go in and check," a voice that presumably belonged to the Captain ordered.

Elphaba knew that the soldiers had most probably spotted the door that led into the kitchen from outside and would come into the corridor any moment. So did the Bear. He looked at her with fear.

Elphaba reached out her hand.

"Follow me."

The Bear hesitated. He turned back and looked at the doors leading to the kitchen and then at the windows as if trying to gauge his chance of success, and then placed his big furry paw onto Elphaba's hand.

They had barely taken a step when she saw a familiar figure turning the corner in front of them.

"There you are - ," Fiyero said, and then he stopped as he stared at the sight before him. Elphaba holding the hand of a Bear.

She looked at him. How was she going to explain? And then a commotion from behind the kitchen doors brought her back to reality.

"Soliders," she told Fiyero.

It took just a split second, but Fiyero reached for her hand.

"Follow me," he said, echoing the same words that she had said moments earlier.

Fiyero led the way, with Elphaba and the Bear in tow, and they came upon a door along the corridor. As luck would have it, the door was unlocked and inside was a staircase that went up. It was most probably a staircase to be used by staff. They went up to the third floor. The door at the top opened, and they found themselves back in the familiar corridor of the guest rooms.

Fiyero looked for the door that led to the tearoom. The door was unlocked. They went in, and then the two of them brought the Bear into the adjoining room in which she had her make up done.

It was only when they were safely in the second room that Elphaba dared to breathe again.

"Thank you," the Bear said hesitantly after a while.

Elphaba looked at the Bear, her back to the door.

"So, were those really soldiers?" Fiyero asked.

The Bear nodded his head.

"So what trouble are you in? Besides defying the Animal Banns?"

The Bear put his paw into his pocket and pulled out an apple.

"I'm a thief," he said sadly.

"No you're not," Elphaba retorted, "if anything, the thief should be – ", Fiyero grasped her hand to silent her.

"What's your name?" she said instead. "And why didn't you go when the Banns was announced?"

The Bear gave an audible sigh.

"My name is Nimble, and I worked in a bookstore. My boss, he's Gillikinese. I've worked under him for many years. When he heard of the Animal Banns, he did not think that it would last long. So he suggested that I lay low and hid in his basement until it all blow over. Then one night, the soldiers came and took him away. They took him away because someone reported that he was harbouring an Animal. I ran away before they could catch me, and had been on the run ever since. "

A silence followed as both Fiyero and Elphaba did not know what to say.

"So what do you intend to do?" Fiyero asked after a while.

"I'll leave," Nimble told him.

"You can't leave. The soldiers may still be outside," Elphaba argued. She turned to Fiyero. "We must do something!"

**A/N Did anyone ever wonder where did Fiyero go with the lion cub in the musical after the Lion Cub scene? Specifically, was there any jungle near Shiz where he could release the Animal?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**A/N Thank you for the reviews and the new favorites and alerts ! :)**

**BookWorm001, hey I think you right. I manage to find a map of GM's Oz online and it does look as if the Great Gillikin Forest is near enough for Brr to roam from Shiz (or nearby) to the forest (without being run over by many carriages).**

**JCBoLt, ToriJazz, ahhaa.. so I am not the only one who think too much :P (sometimes over analysing does prevent me from thoroughly enjoying a show)**

**James Birdsong, Guest, thank you for your reviews too **

**LittleMissDelirious, no worries about not reviewing every chapter! **** I love the idea for AYAYL (the plot is so totally original and the chemistry between the characters are so good). So is there really no chance of it being continued (pleasepleaseplease)? Tell you something, I read your review at 1.30am last night (doing work at home) and after that my hand just automatically clicks my fanfic folder instead of my work related folders. Unhealthy obsession! :P**

**I went to peek into the 6****th**** Annual Wicked Fanfic awards post again and saw my name there! Thank you very very very much for those had listed my fanfic via PM/review. It really makes me very happy that there are people who thought of my fanfic when they are asked about their favorites. :) :) :)**

**Disclaimer : Bet GM never know how life-changing it will be for so many people when he came up with that dark-skinned, diamond-tattooed Winkie prince character for his Wicked story.**

"We just can't let the soldiers catch him," Elphaba told Fiyero.

"But we can't leave him here forever," he reminded her.

"We got to do something!" Elphaba was almost pleading.

Fiyero shook his head. He thought for a while.

"Stay here," he instructed the Bear as he pulled Elphaba out of the room into the corridor.

"Guard the door," he told her, "and made sure nobody goes in. I'll go and get Marman." He then ran off as fast as his long legs could carry him.

He came back with the royal valet after what seemed like forever, though it was most probably minutes. Elphaba still had her back to the door, as if she was worried that someone would come any minute and insisted on barging in. Marman had a covered basket with him.

Without saying a word, Elphaba opened the door and they went in. She knocked on the second door.

"Nimble? It's me," she called out. "We are coming in." After waiting for a while, she opened the door.

The Bear was still there, trying his very best to squeeze into the corner next to the door as if that would stop him from being discovered by anyone who walked into the room. Fiyero would have laughed if the situation was any less serious, but even the sometimes-brainless prince understood the severity if anyone found out that there was a Bear in a room in the heart of Emerald City that was booked under the name of the Arjiki royalty.

Marman broke the ice by lifting up the basket and opening up its cover. There was food inside.

"I supposed you must be starving," he simply said.

It would not do for the Prince and his guest to disappear for long from a dinner, and so Marman shooed the two of them back downstairs. Elphaba was reluctant, though. She wanted to stay on. She wanted to make sure the Nimble was fed and that he would left the hotel in a single _living_ piece (leaving the hotel in one dead piece was not what she had in mind). But Marman would have none of that; and underneath that friendly face was a man who would not take no for an answer, not even from a stubborn person like Elphaba.

So Fiyero and Elphaba went back to the function room again where she ate only a little bit and Fiyero acted as if nothing was unusual, laughing at the appropriate moment when the men laughed and nodding his head when the rest did, usually when his father said something. And when the dinner was over, Fiyero excused himself, and came back sometime later and asked Elphaba to go back by herself.

"Don't wait up for me," he said, and then added sheepishly.

"Oz, I sound as if we are married."

But wait up she did. She sat on the bed and read the book that she had bought from the bookstore and only fell asleep much later, the book still in her hand. She had no idea how late it was when she felt the book left her hands and a cold kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes.

"Fiyero?"

"Reading in bed is bad for your eyes," was his reply.

She looked at him. He had showered and changed into a pair of loose white pants. But he looked tired, and she saw something on his face.

"You're bleeding," she touched the long scratch mark on his cheek.

"Mmm, your friend was not very happy when we tried to squeeze him into a crate."

Elphaba's eyes widened. "A crate?"

"He panicked and struggled. I supposed he could have scratched me then."

"So was he safe?" Elphaba asked.

"I guess so. We hid him under a pile of bear skins and got the crate out of Emerald City just before the gate closed for the night. The official story was that the Queen of the Arjiki tribe bought a whole crate of genuine bear skins and insisted that they must be shipped back to Vinkus immediately. The guards at the gate did not give it more than a passing glance," Fiyero updated her as he climbed into the bed.

"I like excitement in my life, Elphaba, but this is not what I have in mind," he told her as he snuggled close to her.

"But there was no way I would have left him there."

"I know, but how many Animals do you plan to save, Elphaba? You can't save the world."

"How will I know if I don't try? Don't you agree, Fiyero? Fiyero?"

Elphaba looked at the prince, but he was already fast asleep, his face lying close to the crook of her neck and an arm around her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was dawn when something woke Elphaba up. She thought that it was Fiyero, but the prince was still asleep, his arm still around her. And then she heard it again.

Someone was knocking on the door.

She moved his arm away, and climbed out of bed before she quickly put on a sleeping robe that she had found in the wardrobe and had left on the chair last night. She went downstairs. The knocking had stopped, but she could see the silhouette of a person standing outside through the tinted glass panel next to the door.

She opened the door and recognised the person standing there.

King Marillot.

"I'm not too early, am I?" he asked.

"I… he… Fiyero is still asleep. I'll wake him up," she stammered, forgetting to greet the King.

"I know my son. He will not wake up so early. It's you that I am looking for."

She showed her surprise.

"So who are you actually?" The King went straight to the point. Well, not exactly.

"Me?" Elphaba was surprised. "I'm Elphaba Thropp."

"I know your name," the King, his tone not revealing his mood. "But who are you exactly? You are not the kind of girl that Fiyero usually go for, and mind you, I have heard enough to know what kind of girls he prefers. You are not that kind."

Elphaba thought that that was the understatement of the year.

The King continued. "I had no idea what you did, but he seemed to be less flippant recently."

Elphaba found her voice. "Fiyero may behave like an immature prince, but it is just a mask that he uses sometimes. He tries to study, and he carries out whatever duties you ask him to. "

"Grudgingly," the King told her. "As for the studying part, it only started after he had gone to Shiz. The first few universities were disasters. Last night… last night was the first time I saw him took charge of anything. He thought of the plan and then bossed Marman and me around, just to get the Bear out of the City." The King chuckled at the memory (which sounded like a cough actually). Elphaba had not known that the King had the capability to laugh until then.

"He's not that stupid, Sir," she told the King. She was not sure if he had noted the way she had addressed him. "You underestimated your son."

"And you are selling yourself short, Miss Thropp. Tell me, what are your plans after your graduation?"

Elphaba pulled her sleeping robe closer.

"I don't know. I might stay in Shiz for one more year to look after my sister if she still wants me around. Maybe I'll make myself useful and help out around the school wherever I can."

"But what do you really want?" The King asked. "Find a rich man and get married? A lot of girls want to do that."

Elphaba could not help but laugh. "I'm not marriage material. I would most probably be doing something useful, like helping the Animals, or working in something related to Life Sciences or academia."

The King raised his eyebrows. "So getting married is not, to use your word, 'useful'. So you planned to work?"

"Either that or I have to starve," Elphaba said matter-of-factly. "I don't have a large inheritance waiting for me. Moreover, I like to keep myself busy."

He nodded, and then he turned to leave. But then, he stopped and turned back again.

"Miss Thropp, I don't think there is a need to let my son know that I was here." It sounded like a request, but Elphaba knew that it was a command. And then the King was left in the carriage that was waiting for him.

Elphaba went back to the bedroom and climbed into bed.

"Where have you been?" Fiyero's asked in a sleepy voice as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I went downstairs."

He gave a smile with his eyes still closed.

"I will miss this," he said, "Waking up with you next to me." And then he opened his eyes. "Let's go back to sleep."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows.

"So that you will be the first thing I see when I wake up again," he said cheekily.

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

But she did what she was told. She faced Fiyero, their faces just inches apart, his hand on her hip, and her hand on his chest.

She tried to sleep, but her brain was already wide awake, running over the brief conversation that she had with the Arjiki king. Thinking that Fiyero was already asleep, she started to trace the diamond tattoos that were on his body, starting from the one on his chest and then moving on. She was caught by surprise when he suddenly held her hand while she was tracing the last diamond on his abdomen.

"Oz, how am I going to sleep when you are touching me like that," he told her as he opened his eyes and smiled at her. Suddenly she was conscious of how close they were physically, and how many parts of their bodies were already touching. Her hand in his. His other hand brushing against her stomach. His thigh resting against hers, with their ankles touching. Elphaba's heart beat faster, and she knew that it was not due to fear.

She tried to retract her hand, but he would not let go.

"Too late, Elphaba." Fiyero shifted so that he was above her and released her hand, cradling the side of her face instead as he kissed her deeply. Elphaba's hand went to his hair as she responded to his kisses, letting him in as she closed her eyes and let other senses took over. He kissed her jaw, and then her neck, while his hand slid under her night gown and caressed her bare skin.

"Yero…" she said his name.

Fiyero stopped, and looked at her.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "I can stop if you want to."

Elphaba looked back at him, at his mesmerising blue eyes that were shrouded with desire and love. No, love and desire. At his beautiful features that was hers to touch. The most attractive guy in school - the scandalicious Vikun prince Fiyero, and he only wanted her.

She shook her head with a smile, and then pulled him down to her so that she could kiss him again, yearning for more. She slid her hands down his back as she shifted her legs around him.

She would miss this too.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back in Shiz, the scar on Fiyero's face was not much of a topic, except for Crope and Tibbett who came up with the most outrageous stories when all the girls were not around. Boq was so embarrassed that he excused himself from the table halfway during the conversation, his face all red.

Fiyero and Elphaba got into a fight.

Fiyero got into a fight in a bar with a man over Elphaba.

Fiyero got into a fight in a bar with a man over another woman.

Fiyero and Elphaba got into a fight over a woman that both of them wanted.

Fiyero and Elphaba got into a fight over a man that both of them wanted.

Or.

Fiyero got into a cat fight when buying the Oz'Couture latest range for Galinda.

Fiyero was scratched by Elphaba when she found out that he was actually a regular at Oz'Couture – he wore the items from their lingerie series.

Or.

Fiyero was scratched by Elphaba when he tried to force himself on her.

Fiyero was scratched by Elphaba when _he_ rejected her advances when they were in Emerald City.

Fiyero was scratched by _his mother_ when he tried to stop a cat fight between her and Elphaba.

Fiyero got scratched when Elphaba was too passionate in bed and there were many more on his body (Fiyero had to take off his shirt off on the spot to prove that it was not true, and then the infirmary subsequently reported an increase of fainting cases on that particular day).

Galinda claimed that she was happy to have her roommate back, was nothing could be compared to the ecstasy on her face when the delivery from Oz'Couture arrived two days after that.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two weeks later, Elphaba went to Fiyero's room and saw a cat on a makeshift litter box that was pushed against the wall next to the door.

"Am I seeing things or have you studied too much?" She asked. She never knew him as a pet person, let alone a cat person.

Fiyero put a finger to his lips, and closed the door behind her.

"This is Malky. He was sent by my father to keep an eye on me. 'To stop me from getting into trouble.' " he quoted with his fingers bent.

"You mean to stop me from getting you into trouble."

"That's not what he wrote. He specially said to stop_ me_."

Elphaba squatted down and looked at the Cat. It looked just like an ordinary cat with white fur and a pair of golden eyes. She scratched the Cat behind its ears. It meowed and turned over, exposing its belly for more scratch favours.

"Don't scratch him. He's male. I will get jealous," Fiyero told her.

Elphaba smiled indulgently.

"A Cat," she said to herself as she stood up to receive her first kiss of the day. "What are you going to do? Nobody is allowed to keep pets in Shiz. You will be reprimanded and the cat disposed of. And imagine what will happen if they found out that he is a Cat. Why can't your father hire a real Ama?"

"Only girls need Amas as chaperones," Fiyero pouted.

"A valet then?"

"I will be a laughing stock. Well, to look on the bright side, at least he is toilet trained."

She asked him what he intended to do then.

Fiyero shrugged. "He won't be staying here all the time. We will just pretend that he is a stray who prefers my room, and I won't chase him out because my girlfriend loves animals."

"How did I get involved?" she asked with a smile.

"Everyone knows that I will break all the rules just to make you happy," Fiyero told her teasingly, as his arms encircled her waist and gently pushed her against the study table.

She pushed him away. "Fiyero."

"What?"

"He's here."

"So?"

"He's watching."

"So?"

"Your hands. They are unbuttoning my uniform right now," she said, as if there was a possibility that he had not known what he was doing.

Fiyero chuckled as he kissed her again.

"Go away." He told the Cat.

"I'm in charge, remember," the Cat spoke in a dry raspy voice that did not carry beyond the room.

Fiyero did not reply, but pulled Elphaba close to him again.

"I guess we just have to find out what is his limit then?" He told her as he kissed her again. He continued to unbutton the Shiz uniform that she was wearing. The Cat kept on staring at them with his golden eyes, but finally gave a snarl when Fiyero pushed Elphaba's blouse off her shoulders, exposing her green skin. He leaped onto the study table and jumped out of the window.

"Now we know what is his limit," Fiyero told Elphaba, but did not stop what he was doing.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Malky, like his 'owner', was a hit with the girls at Shiz. They would squeal when they saw him, and some of them even chased him all over the lawn. There was once when Fiyero even saw a group of five girls trying to scratch him at the same time. The guys, on the other hand, thought that tying up his tail was the latest in-game, but Malky was smart enough to avoid them after the first time.

Even Nessarose loved him, and he would always lie down on her lap and pretend to sleep while the group of friends were together. Maybe it was because she would never suddenly stand up and drop him onto the ground. Nobody, except for Fiyero and Elphaba, knew that he was actually a Cat.

Fiyero never had a roommate of any kind in his life. Besides the lack of privacy (Fiyero learned after a while that Malky would give him the privacy he needed if he were to ask nicely or to give advance notice), the two seemed to have developed a friendship of some sort, which consisted of Fiyero talking to Malky and the Cat purring in reply or giving him a look of disdain. On the rare times that he replied, his replies would remind Fiyero of Elphaba's sarcasm when she was in one of her moods.

Madam Morrible was not amused with the appearance of the Cat of course. She sent some staff to capture him on various occasions, since animals and pets were not allowed in the campus. When the smart Cat eluded them easily, the Shiz mistress hired outside help to catch him, which did not work either. After a while, the Cat and the Shiz mistress seemed to reach an unspoken consensus. He tried not to appear so often in front of her, and she just pretended that there was no cat in the campus.

**A/N Please review! More drama in 2 chapters' time (don't say I didn't warn you :P)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**A/N Thank you for all the reviews!**

**JCBoLt, thank you for LOVING this story :)**

**LittleMissDelirious, FTLOAD is ending, please write something else! How can you be insecure about your writing. I have just finished WSWF and it is great (though I am so sad with the ending)! And what rebellion (sniff air but smell nothing)?**

**LittleMissDelirious,BookWorm0001, so this is the Malky hate group :P Just to let you know that this Malky is not a bad Malky. I just need the name of a spy Cat so I took that. The other option would be Princess Arjumand (I am currently reading To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis) which will be hilarious because the Cat is male.**

**ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, James Birdsong, thank you for your review too. I am surprised that Chapter 10 is so well received.**

**Highlight of my work week - when IT systems decided that they should work like Grimmeries (that is, does not work the way they are expected to). **

**And…. Thank you to all those who nominated me for Best Romance Author, and Changing Fate for Best AU & Best Fiyeraba, and Wicked In the Library for Best Oneshot. I love you readers :) :) :) I know I am up against the best so I am not hoping for anything. But do excuse me while I go off and do a five minute snoopy dance. And please forgive me for my shameless advertising in the summary page. I will zip my mouth from now on.**

"Elphie," Galinda whined. "You have been spending too much time with Fiyero."

It was a Friday afternoon and both girls were in their room as they did not have any class. Malky was with them. Galinda had loved the Cat so much that she had bought a pink cushioned basket with pink blanket to entice the Cat to stay with them. Galinda thought that all that pink worked, since the Cat was spending a significant amount of time in their room, but Elphaba knew otherwise.

"Does she know that I am male?" he asked Elphaba once, when she was in Fiyero's room.

"Nobody ever said that males cannot like pink. Look at Crope. He wore pink sometimes," came Elphaba's reply. And Fiyero had grinned in agreement, though he did not openly take sides.

Galinda absentmindedly scratched Malky behind his ears, not noticing that one of his eyes opened the moment he heard the Prince's name. She had tied a pink ribbon with a bell round his neck again, the sixth pink ribbon so far. Each time, he had taken it off the moment he went back to Fiyero's room and had buried the ribbon and bell somewhere so deep that Galinda would not be able to find it again. There was no way he was going to move around the campus with that attention-seeking ribbon and bell, announcing his arrival to everyone. To further add to his humiliation, some of the Birds that he had befriended had laughed at him when they saw him with the ribbon. He would have admired Miss Upload for her persistence, if he was not the object of her infliction.

"What do you mean?" Elphaba asked, her mind engrossed in the book she held in her hands. "Am I not here with you now?"

"Elphieeeeeeee!"

Elphaba put down her book and counted on her fingers.

"I was with you on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday I was with Fiyero. Thursday with you, and now is Friday afternoon, and where am I now?"

Galinda pouted. She stood up suddenly and Malky jumped off her lap.

"But I missed you on Wednesday, Elphie!" She went over to Elphaba's bed and hugged her best friend.

Elphaba laughed and untangled herself from the blonde's arms.

"But you are in class. You should be paying attention."

"I would rather spend my time missing you than to pay attention to that boring old fool," Galinda told her as she sat down on her bed. "So tell me, how far have the two of you gone?"

Elphaba's raised her eyebrows. "So that's what this is all about."

Galinda blushed as she twiddled her fingers.

"Well, not really. You see, well, don't tell this to anyone, butttttttt Pfannee had gone out with some baronet's son just twice and the guy was already expecting her to jump into bed with him, and she was just asking me on how far did Fiyero and I go on those two dates because wellllllll, everyone have heard of his reputation, and she thought that all these people with titles just had different expectations compared to the rest of us."

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Expectations?"

Galinda blushed even further. "Oh well, you know what I mean. So I told her no, and she just … oh well," Galinda flopped her hands onto the bed. And then sat up again and continued.

"So it just made me wonder… and… well.." Galinda hemmed and hawed.

"It's personal, Lin."

She wrapped her arms around Elphaba.

"Come on, Elphie. I always tell you what happen with my dates."

"That is because I am your therapist, your relationship counsellor and your mobile confessional."

"And I am yours!" Galinda argued.

"Do I look like I need any advice?"

Galinda pouted again. "This is no fun. Best friends shared their secrets. So ... are you all doing it yet?"

Elphaba did not reply, but she felt her own face burning up, which Galinda noticed.

"Sweet Lurline, Elphie!" the blonde squealed with excitement, "I would never have guess!"

Elphaba looked around, in time to see the end of Malky's tail as he jumped out of the opened window.

Just then, the girls heard a knock on the door.

Galinda stood up and opened it to find an unexpected guest.

"Madam Morrible! Good afternoon!" She said, surprise on her face.

"Good afternoon Miss Upland. Is Miss Thropp around?"

"Yes, she is in. Elphie? Madam Morrible is looking for you."

Elphaba stood up from her bed, mentally thanking Lurline that Malky had left the room.

"Good afternoon Madam Morrible."

"Good afternoon Miss Thropp. I come bearing good news."

"Good news?"

"Yes. Remember when I told you that I will write to the Wizard about your talent for sorcery?"

She nodded, her mouth dry.

"Well, this morning, I had received news from the Emerald City. The Wizard wanted to see you."

"The Wizard wanted to see me?" This would be her chance, to tell the Wizard that he had been misled about the intelligence of the Animals. Clearly he would understand the truth and reverse the Banns.

"Yes," Madam Morrible confirmed. "And as we all know, the Wizard is a very busy man. But he is so considerate, that he has arranged for the meeting to take place during the school holidays so that it will not disrupt your studies." She gave the date. "You will be there for one week. All expenses will be paid by the Wizard. You will be residing in his palace, and you will have the chance to show him your talents. And also to discuss whatever you have in mind. I have, to the best of my knowledge that he will be doing the same for talented students from other Universities, though it seems that you are the first one that he will be meeting. His current Grand Vizier is getting old, and I will not be surprised if he intends to choose one of you to be groomed as the next Grand Vizier."

"The school holidays. That is so far away." Elphaba said, mostly to herself.

"It is just a few weeks away, Miss Thropp. I am sure that you will continue to work hard in your studies and in your sorcery class. As a matter of fact, I would like to give you extra coaching on sorcery. I understand that you are free on Wednesday afternoons. This is a chance of a lifetime, I dare say, and I hope you will not disappoint me." With that, Madam Morrible bade them good afternoon and left the room.

"Grand Vizier!" Galinda squealed the moment Madam Morrible left the room as she grabbed her roommate around her shoulders and jumped up and down. "Sweet Lurline! Think of that, my Elphie is going to be Grand Vizier!"

Elphaba saw stars with all the tugging and pulling and had to pull Galinda's arms off her and sat down.

"It's just to visit the Wizard. As for the position of the Grand Vizier, it is most probably a rumour or something that Madame Morrible came up with."

"Do you know that the Grand Vizier will have to stay in the Emerald City, Elphie? Can I move in with you then?" Galinda batted her eyelids at her roommate. "Now, what should you wear when you are the Grand Vizier…."

Everyone was happy for Elphaba when Galinda announced the news over dinner. Boq even managed to find some Munchkinland champagne (drinking was forbidden on campus grounds) for them to raise a toast to her. So the friends sat on the grass patch next to the Suicide Canal after dinner (Nessarose remained on her wheelchair) had a celebration. Nessarose had declined to drink of course. It was the first time Elphaba had tasted alcohol, and Fiyero had poured half a glass for her, but she declared that she did not like the taste after two sips. Galinda then took over her glass and down it before anyone could react, and then finished her own drink. Crope and Tibbett ran off halfway, supposedly in search of more alcohol. They waited, but the duo never came back. Most probably they had gotten drunk at the source of the alcohol supply, Boq grumbled, as they gave up waiting and prepared to leave.

"My head hurts, and I think I am going to throw up," Elphaba told Fiyero and Galinda on the way back to her room as they took a shortcut by walking across the field. Boq had offered to bring Nessarose back to her room, leaving Fiyero with the two girls (since Boq knew that he was not tall enough to support Elphaba). She was leaning heavily on his arm, and Galinda had her arms around him on the other side, singing some tuneless song about going off to see the Wizard.

"Are you okay, Elphie? You looked abit … green," Galinda asked, and then giggled. She was obviously tipsy, and Fiyero hoped that she would not pass out as he definitely could not handle an unconscious person _and_ a sick person at the same time.

He ignored Galinda, focusing instead on his girlfriend.

Just then, Elphaba turned away from him and threw up on the grass patch.

Fiyero pulled her braid back and rubbed her back for comfort. Galinda sat on the grass, and then suddenly fell backwards with a "Goodnight Elphie".

"Are you feeling better?" He asked her after she was done.

She nodded, but her face was more ash than green.

"I should carry you back," he said, half seriously and half teasingly, and was rewarded with a weak smile. But Galinda was there, and she needed help too. Fiyero contemplated leaving her there while he carried Elphaba back to her room, but decided not to the moment the idea came to his mind. He knew how guys think, and some Shiz student might think that a drunk Galinda incapable of defending herself was a godsend. So Fiyero pulled Galinda up to a standing position before he pulled Elphaba up with his other hand.

"Come on, Galinda. That is not your bed," the prince told her.

"It wasn't?" the blonde asked, squinting her eyes, and then went, "hi, Boq."

Fiyero groaned.

The rest of the trip was thankfully uneventful as he balanced one girl on each arm and brought them back to their room safely.

Elphaba opened the door, and he put her down on her bed, and put Galinda onto hers. The blonde passed out immediately on top of her comforter.

Fiyero brought Elphaba to the bathroom so that she could rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. He then brought her back to bed where she lay down.

"You should change," he told her.

"Can you take care of Galina first?" she mumbled, her eyes closed.

Fiyero was flabbergasted. "Oz, you must be the only person in this world who encourages her boyfriend to disrobe her best friend," and thought of the half a dozen guys in Shiz who would most probably beat him up for touching the girl of their dreams.

She opened one eye warily.

"I mean take off her shoes. I don't want her to stab herself at night."

Fiyero went over to the other bed, and it was only then that he noticed that Galinda was wearing a pair of stilettos with metal heels that most probably could maim any attacker. No wonder Elphaba had talked about the blonde stabbing herself in her sleep. The injury would most probably be fatal.

After Fiyero had removed them, Elphaba added. "The extra comforters are in my wardrobe."

Fiyero rolled his eyes, but walked over to her wardrobe. He opened one side to see it overflowing with pink or pastel dresses. Galinda had most probably run out of space in her own wardrobe and had to use Elphaba's. Shaking his head, he opened the other side, to see the said comforters neatly folded in the bottom shelf. On the upper shelf were Elphaba's dresses and school uniforms.

Fiyero had noticed that Elphaba was always wearing the same few dresses, but he had thought that perhaps she just kept wearing the same few pieces that she preferred. But the emptiness of her wardrobe told him otherwise. He felt a slight pang in his heart. He loved her, but it was not until he saw the sight of her wardrobe that he realised how he had overlooked her physical condition, and how little material possessions she had (besides books). He took a comforter from the shelf, and told himself that he would bring her shopping that weekend. It was not that he wanted her to have a huge wardrobe to choose from, but rather, he thought that she deserved more, even when it was something like dresses, which he knew that she did not care much for.

Fiyero wetted a towel with warm water from the bathroom and sat on her bed. Without a sound, he propped her up and wiped her face before he removed her dress and wiped her limbs. It was the first time that Fiyero had removed a girl's clothes without intending to bed her, and he found that he did not mind at all. He just wanted to take care of her so that she would feel better. After that, he helped her with her nightgown before he undid her braid and ran a comb through her raven black hair. Baring the circumstances, he wished that he had a chance to do this more often.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay the night?" he asked when she was resting next to his body with her face lying on the crook of his neck and his fingers stroking her hair.

She shook her head. "And risked getting you expelled? I am feeling much better now."

"In that case, let's go to town tomorrow. I am going to bring you shopping."

She groaned against his skin. "The headache is coming back." Fiyero chuckled.

He stayed with her until she fell asleep. He then left her room and locked the door behind him before he slipped the key (still on the same black frayed rope that it was tied to when the key was given to her on her arrival to Shiz) under the door. He gave the door one last look before he walked away.

Malky was still awake when Fiyero reached his room. So he told the Cat about Elphaba's pending visit to Emerald City, and how they celebrated with champagne and that she threw up on the way back to her room.

"Pure stupidity," was the Cat's reply (the Pure sounded like Cure though, due to the oral formation of the Cat's mouth).

"What do you mean by that? " Fiyero asked, irritated by the remark that had spoilt his otherwise good mood.

The Cat ignored him and went to his litterbox where he promptly fell asleep.

**A/N Please review! I'll see if I can post the next chapter this weekend (the drama queen in me is getting excited). I hope the turn of events in the next chapter will not disappoint anybody!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 **

**A/N OK , I kept to my promise. :) The weekend is not over yet.**

**Thank you Annabeth, Fabala Throp, JCBoLt and James Birdsong for the reviews. :)**

**JCBoLt, what are you doing half asleep and with a media device near you? :P I hope you didn't have trouble sleeping after that :)**

**Horrors! It was only when I reread chapter 11 after posting that I noticed all my spelling mistakes (though I had run through it twice before posting). It's a sign that I cannot rush through my posting.**

The next few weeks passed by quickly.

With the trip looming near, Elphaba found herself getting more and more busy. She had to juggle her schoolwork with additional sorcery lessons, and also to refresh herself on many issues. She knew that she had to present herself as someone who was knowledgeable, who had all the facts at her fingertips, and who was also able to debate her way through any topic so that the Wizard would listen when she broached the subject on the Animal Banns.

With that in mind, she began to plan out the topics that she needed to revise. Free time was spent either in the library or at her desk in her room when the library was closed. The early morning and late nights began to take a toll on her health, with her body cycle getting out of sync and her immune system getting weaker. She nearly fainted in the library twice but luckily no one was around to see it. She would also leave the table once she had finished her meal, or chose to eat in, leaving the rest, especially Fiyero, frustrated.

On that particular Wednesday, Madame Morrible had taught her the basics of the healing spell during sorcery class, which the head mistress said would be very useful in impressing the Wizard. As there was no sick or injured student in the infirmary, Madame Morrible had suggested that she practised on herself instead. Using one'e energy to heal oneself. Elphaba almost laughed at that suggestion, but did what she was told. Madame Morrible taught her the two steps required – seek (to find the cause of the injury), and heal. She was puzzled by part of the spell, but kept her concerns to herself. By the end of the lesson, she was exhausted and giddy, which, according to Madame Morrible, was expected given that it was the first time that she had done the complex spell which was not exactly easy.

"You need a certain talent to be able to do this well, Miss Thropp, and I believe that you can do it", Madame Morrible had said.

After the class, she rushed over to the library with the intention to spend the rest of the day there. She quickly went to the reference section and searched for the information that she was looking for, without much success. Her schedule was further interrupted when Mo, one of the Shiz seniors who talked to her once in a while, plopped down on the seat opposite her when she was studying, and told her that he heard about her upcoming appointment with the Wizard. And he had a little request. Thus it was only much later that she finally had the time to really settle down and read on the things that she had planned to read that day. But soon the library was closing and she had to check out a few books so that she could continue to read them that night.

She was so deep in thought when she left the library that she did not realise someone had joined her and was matching her strides.

"Vinkus to Elphaba Boots. Can you hear me?"

The sudden sound and the touch on her arm surprised her and Elphaba dropped her books. She caught a glance of Fiyero's familiar figure when she bent down to retrieve them.

"Hey, are you okay?" Fiyero asked her as he quickly bent down with her and picked up her books before she managed to do so.

"Elphaba Boots?" Elphaba replied half-heartedly, her mind still on other matters, as she attempted to take back her books.

"Well, I have been calling you for a while and you did not seem to hear, so I thought that maybe you have changed your name to match your signature footwear."

Elphaba rolled her eyes, her hands stretched out for her books. Fiyero hugged them to his chest, imitating her, and lowered his head so that he could look up at her.

"I'm holding them hostage unless you agreed to go for dinner with me."

"I'm not hungry, Fiyero."

"You have been 'not hungry' since Madame Morrible had told you about the visit to Emerald City. All you do is to attend your classes or hide in the library. There will be nothing left of you for the Wizard to see if you continue like this."

"That's an exaggeration and you know it."

"How about the fact that we had not have dinner together for weeks?"

"Fiyero, we had lunch and dinner together everyday."

"I mean just the two of us, alone, and not with your head buried in a book. And you always leave the table immediately after your meal, without even a goodbye," Fiyero faked a sniff, and Elphaba felt guilty for neglecting him.

"Fiyero," she placed her hand on his arm. "You know I am busy with all the preparations and extra lessons."

"Yeah, 'The Political System of Oz'. 'Workforce Statistics of Oz'. 'History of Munchkinland'." Fiyero turned the books to their side to read the titles on their spine. "Why are you reading all this again? You knew all this by heart."

"No harm refreshing myself."

"You know, if I am less secure, I will be very jealous."

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Of who. Of the wizard. Meeting him is more important to you than being with me. Come on, just one dinner with me," he pulled at her hand.

"The rest are waiting," Elphaba protested.

"I have told them that we are going out on a date," Fiyero replied with a grin. "Come on."

Fiyero brought her to Shiz Café for dinner where they had a simple dinner. Elphaba tried to put her worries aside and concentrate on Fiyero. They had a simple meal, followed by coffee for him and hot chocolate for her (he insisted, saying that he did not want her to use the coffee as an excuse for staying up all night to study). She was glad that Fiyero had insisted on going out for dinner and told him so, which pleased him. They bumped into Galinda on the way back to the dorm.

"Hey, how's the date?" The blonde said chirpily when she was with talking distance.

"Great," Fiyero told her as he gave Elphaba a genuine smile. She smiled back at him.

"Where are you going, Lin?"

"I'm going over to the cafeteria. Suddenly I had a craving for muffins. Do you want some, Elphie?"

Elphaba laughed. "No thanks, Lin."

"I'll get you some just in case you changed your mind later." And then she was gone.

They continued the rest of their way in silence, hand in hand, enjoying the presence of each other.

"Doesn't this remind you of our first date?" He asked when they reached the door of her room, her books and bag still with him.

Elphaba smiled, a slight blush tinting her cheeks.

"The only thing missing is Galinda peeping from behind the door," he added jokingly, as he placed his hand on her back and closed the distance.

Elphaba placed one hand on his chest, but what happened next caught him by surprise. He felt, rather than saw her stumble. Instinctively, he pressed his hand harder against her back so that she would fall into his arms instead, and supported her shoulder with his other hand. He felt her hand tightened her grip on his shirt to stabilise herself, and then the pressure as she tried to push herself back into a standing position. But she staggered again.

"Elphaba?" Fiyero asked, confused. Her face was a shade paler than usual.

"I'm fine," she told him as she tried to straighten up, but she sounded weak.

Keeping an arm around her, Fiyero dug through her bag for her key. He lifted it out by the new keychain that he had bought her, a wooden craving with their initials 'E' and 'F' interlocking each other (and Galinda had protested and insisted that he should have bought a 'E' and 'G' as the key was to Elphaba's and Galinda's room), opened the door and brought her inside. He closed the door behind them.

"You nearly fainted just now," he stated the obvious. "Have you been feeling dizzy lately?"

Instead of sitting down, Elphaba chose to stand next to her bed, a silent refusal to admit that she had nearly fainted in front of Fiyero moments ago.

"I'm fine," she told him. Which in Elphaba-speak was a silent 'Yes' to his question.

"How many hours have you been sleeping every night? Five? Six?"

"Enough for me," came her reply. And he knew it was less than five. Oz, how long had this been happening?

"I'm really fine. Most probably I was too tired by today's sorcery class," she said nonchalantly.

Fiyero gave a sigh and approached her.

"Elphaba," he softened his voice. "I'm not against you studying, but you have to make sure that your health is not affected. I want to take care of you, but I cannot do that if you don't want to take care of yourself in the first place. "

When she didn't reply, he continued, "we'll drop by the infirmary tomorrow and ask the nurse for a checkup. Just to make sure that you are fine and you are just tired from all the late nights and it is not something more serious."

It was some time before she looked up at him.

"I can't go to the doctors in Shiz."

"Why?"

She looked down again, suddenly finding her the skirt of her Shiz uniform very fascinating.

"Why don't you just tell him?" a third voice in the room spoke up. Elphaba and Fiyero looked towards the bed. They had no idea that Malky had come into the room.

The Cat looked at the green girl.

"I was in the library when I saw you looking through the books."

"It might be false alarm," she told the Cat.

To which he replied, "Don't forget, I may be a Cat, but I am a cat too, and animals are sensitive to such changes. Well, from the way I see it, I am surprised that it didn't happen sooner."

Fiyero knew he was missing something, and he was not happy that the Cat knew something about Elphaba that he was not privy to. But he waited for her to speak.

Elphaba took a deep breath before she looked at him again.

"Fiyero, today Madame Morrible taught me about seeking and healing. I tried to detect my heartbeat, and there is something else... " she paused.

"Are you sick?" he made a very wild guess.

Malky rolled his eyes, or as close to rolling his eyes as a Cat could.

"What did you see in him?" he asked Elphaba. "He's so stupid."

"I don't think this is a good time to talk about that, Malky," Elphaba told him, though she wished that there was a topic that they could talk about instead of focusing their attention on her.

"What happened, Elphaba," Fiyero held her shoulders. "Just tell me. Are you dying? Is that why you have been avoiding me on the pretext of being busy with schoolwork? And losing weight?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"I'm not sure. I really don't think I should be telling you this," she said as she looked down.

He did not understand.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Your Highness, please allow me to be the messenger," Malky got his attention. And then did an elaborate act of licking his hind legs as he made the prince waited.

When he was finally done, the Cat did a wiping motion across his face with his front paw as he gave a low respectful bow. There was no trace of his usual sarcasm when he spoke.

"Your Royal Highness, Prince Fiyero of the Arjiki tribe and Kiamo Ko, Heir to King Marillot Tiggular, the Mightiest Stalker of the Thousand Year Grasslands and Chiefest Chieftain in the Great Kells, may I be the first to offer my congratulations on the conception of your heir apparent, and the continuation of the lineage of the royal Arjiki bloodline."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later, on a stifling Friday afternoon, Fiyero and Elphaba made their way to town after her last class.

They knew that they could not get any help from the doctors or nurses in Shiz. Pregnancy out of wedlock was against the school regulations and students involved would be subjected to immediate expulsion.

Malky had run out of the room when Galinda came back that night with enough muffins to fulfil everyone's cravings, but not before promising to do something about their situation. He had later, through his own means, found a semi-retired but experienced doctor with midwifery skills who resided in town. Someone whom he claimed would be discrete.

Elphaba had admitted that she had no idea that she was pregnant and Fiyero believed her. Her cycle was late, but she had thought that it was due to tiredness and stress. There was no sign of morning sickness or anything else that girls of her age would associate with pregnancy. It was only when she sought for her heartbeat that she realised that something was not normal, and the books in the library was not every helpful either. It took a Cat to make her realise that her suspicions were correct.

The carriage dropped them a spacious double storey household with a huge garden. The gate was unlocked, and they walked in. The garden was filled with beautiful blooms of various colours, which failed to brighten Elphaba's mood. In a little corner, there was a stone table with chairs for the owners to enjoy the view when the weather was warm.

The two of them went up to the door, and Fiyero knocked. He gave Elphaba's hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled at her.

Within moments, they heard a "Coming!" from somewhere within the house and soon the door opened by a woman with a smiling face that somehow put them at ease immediately.

"Hi, I am Deliadora and I am expecting you. Please come in," she said, waving them into the house.

Fiyero looked around. Deliadora, Doctor Deliadora, he corrected himself, looked Gillikinese but he noticed a touch of Vinkunese style around the house.

She led them to the living room and offered them cookies and tea, which Elphaba declined. She then asked Elphaba to follow her into a room.

"Don't worry, young man," she said when Fiyero started to protest. "I will leave the door unlocked. I just need her to answer some questions and lie down for some checks. Having you in the same room will only stress her further."

Fiyero sat down. The cookies were delicious and the tea warm, but his mind kept wandering off and he found himself twisting his fingers to prevent himself from pacing around the room.

The door finally opened after an eternity and one second.

"Please come in," the doctor waved him in.

He went into the room. It was a simply decorated room with a coffee table and a couch. One corner was curtained off. As he looked at that area, the curtain was pulled aside and Elphaba came out, adjusting her dress. He saw a bed behind her and a small stool. She saw him and gave him a little smile.

Deliadora indicated for the two of them to sit down.

"Elphaba dear," she addressed the green girl, and Fiyero was surprised that Elphaba had given the doctor her name. So much for discretion. But he supposed that it would be easy to find out who she was even without the name, since there was only one green girl in the whole of Oz.

"I will be repeating some of the things that I had spoken to you just now, so please bear with me." Elphaba nodded as she sat down next to Fiyero. He put his arm around her shoulders.

"So - ," he started.

Deliadora nodded her head.

"Elphaba is with child. My best estimation would be slightly more than 2 months."

Two months, Fiyero thought, finally realising why the Cat had called him stupid for letting Elphaba drank the champagne.

"I can see that the two of you love each other. But I also understand that you are not married and are still studying. Having a child may not be the wisest thing to do right now. Having a child is a huge change in anyone's life and also entails a great deal of sacrifice and hardship. But parenthood is also the most rewarding job in the world. The final decision is up to the two of you, though I have to admit that I am of the belief that every single baby is precious, a gift from Lurline. You will need to decide quite soon if there is any intention to terminate the pregnancy, within these two weeks in fact. Anything beyond that and it will be too dangerous for the procedure to be carried out. And my child," she patted Elphaba's hand. "Remember that I do not want you to go to some back alley quack for some fix. Your life is too precious to be lost on one of those makeshift operation tables. "

"And if," she added, "you decide to continue with this pregnancy, I will be more than happy to provide the medical care and guidance throughout the whole pregnancy and to bring the child into the world."

"And young man," she addressed Fiyero. "Please note that her constitution is quite weak. Please make sure that she had enough rest and do not travel too much. If need be, you can ask pass a message to me, and I will go to her place to check up on her so that the two of you do not have to make your way in town."

Fiyero thanked the doctor. "What about the payment?" he asked.

"Don't worry about that. Malky and I will work out something." This was the first time he had heard her mentioned the Cat's name.

"So he is your friend?"

"Friend of a friend, if you want to be technical about it," she told him.

The two of them were quiet on the way home. Elphaba looked out of the window, oblivious to the passing scenery as her mind jumped from one thought to another, while Fiyero looked at her, wondering what she was thinking, and having some thoughts of his own. It was only when the familiar buildings of Shiz appeared before them that he finally spoke.

"Why don't we get married?"

Elphaba looked up, surprise on her face.

"What?"

"Marry. You know, ring on your finger?" He lifted her hand, his fingers holding her fourth finger.

She pulled back her hand. "No."

"Why?" He was hurt, and he was sure it showed on his face.

Elphaba touched his face lightly.

"Fiyero, marriage is for a lifetime. You should not talk about it just because I am having a baby."

"My baby," he emphasized.

Just then, the carriage stopped. They had reached Shiz.

"Can we talk about this later?" She asked as she prepared to get down from the carriage, eager to get away from the confines of the carriage and from him.

He held her hand. "Promise me that we will talk?"

She looked straight at him. "Yes, we will."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was late, and Madame Morrible was about to go to bed when there was a knock on her door. The head mistress put on her sleeping robe to cover up her night gown and went to the door.

Her voice betrayed her surprise when she opened the door and revealed her visitor.

"Why, what bring you here at this late hour?"

**A/N **

**I assume that a talented witch should have no problem in detecting a pregnancy pulse since a good acupuncturist could do the same at the 6****th**** weeks. :)**

**Understand that there has been a few fanfic recently with Elphaba getting pregnant. But this chapter was actually drafted in Oct last year and I simply do not have the time to come up with another plot and rewrite the 2****nd ****half of the story. I hope this chapter did not disappoint! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 **

**A/N Thank you BookWorm001 and JCBoLt for the reviews!**

**BookWorm001, I think the book-Elphie had a more extreme character. She would be obsessed with one issue (her redemption for causing Fiyero's death), and then totally neglect the rest (Liir). Or maybe its her way of pretending that he was not her son (out of sight , out of mind mentality). Musical-Elphie, OTOH, is more 'balanced' (so much so that she ran away with a scarecrow and forget all about the Animals' plight :P)**

**JCBoLt – wow. Those are big shoes to fill….. and thank goodness you don't have my address! :P**

**I had contributed a one-shot to Dimpled's (formerly known as Queen Ella Grace) Wickedly Awesome Interview, so go and read if you are interested! :)**

**Has anyone heard the song 'Popular' by Mika? Doesn't the chorus remind you of Wicked's 'Popular'? **

The Arijiki prince had been sorely disappointment when he first came to Shiz and noticed that there was no florist in the campus of Shiz. It made the impromptu need to impress a girl, something which he did very often when he was in the other universities, difficult. Luckily for him, Elphaba was not the kind of girl that insisted on getting flowers. Unluckily for him, she was the other extreme. She insisted on _not_ getting flowers. She would roll her eyes whenever Fiyero tried his luck and gave her flowers, and would insist that Galinda or Fiyero should hold them for her.

"Yes, we have established that pink goes with green. Are you trying to make me look more plant-like than I already am?" she asked him the first time he had bought her flowers - a bouquet of pink roses.

OK, so no more flower surprises.

But on that morning, Fiyero knew that he just had to get Elphaba flowers for the day. So he got out of bed early, changed, slipped a note under her door and took a carriage to town. He knew of this small florist in town that opened early and sold beautiful and fresh flowers, and he reached there just in time to see the owner opened for business.

Fiyero looked at the wide variety of flowers with different colours at the front of the stall, each of them ready to be bought to delight a mother, a co-worker, a friend or a lover. He chose a bouquet of a few dozen poppies; he knew that they were Elphaba's favourite (as much a favourite as a flower could be for someone who did not like to receive them) (Elphaba had not provided this information. Galinda had, after that first time with the pink roses). While different flowers had different meanings in different culture, the Vinkuns always believed that poppies represented the loyalty and faith between lovers, and Fiyero felt that it was an entirely appropriate gift at that moment.

As the florist handled his change, he thought of the baby. Their baby. He wondered if their baby would be a girl and if she would have Elphaba's features. He wondered if he could name her Poppy. Fiyero smiled. Or maybe Elphaba would hit him with the thickest book that she could borrow from the library if he suggested the name to her.

He went straight to Elphaba's room when he came back from town, the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Good morning! Are these for me?" Galinda's extra chirpy voice greeted him the moment the door was opened. The blonde was all dressed, ready for a day out, most probably for a shopping trip to town.

"Well, actually I am sure you do know they are for Elphaba," he told her. "Where is she?" He tried to peep into the room, and then noticed that the note that he had slipped under the door was still on the floor.

"She said that she is going to spend the day in the library, and maybe run some errands after that."

Fiyero thanked her, and went to the library.

But Elphaba was not in the library. Nor was she at her usual study haunts. And it was late afternoon when he found her by accident, when he was still moving along the corridors looking for her and he saw her at a distance as she cut across the corridor with a file of documents in her arms.

"Hey," he caught up with her, the flowers still in his hands. He noted a hint of surprise on her face.

"Hey," she replied with uncertainty.

"Where have you been? I have been looking for you the whole day."

She looked away. "I had to run some errands for Madame Morrible."

He raised his eyebrows. "Errands? What happened to her Grommentik?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"This is for you," he gave her the flowers, which was beginning to show signs of limpness. She looked at the flowers warily for a while before she accepted them.

"Thank you. They're beautiful." She said softly.

He wanted to tell her that she was beautiful, but placed a hand on her arm instead. "Are you hungry? Shall we go somewhere for a bite? And a bit of talking?"

She took a step away to break the contact and shook her head. "I've got to settle some stuff for Madame Morrible. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Why don't I do it and you go back and rest. Remember the doctor said that you need your rest."

She shook her head again, her stubborn streak showing. "I had to do this."

"I'll do it with you then," he persisted.

She shook her head again.

"Fiyero, can you just let me settled this? I will talk to you tomorrow. I promise."

"Tomorrow? What about tonight? Dinner?" he tried his luck.

"No, I think I need more time to finish the errands."

He could see that he was not going to win that argument. "Alright, I will pick you up for breakfast tomorrow. We'll go anywhere you want, and then we'll talk. There are some things that I want to say."

She gave him a weak smile. "Breakfast will be fine."

She turned and walked away, but stopped after a few steps and turned around and went up to him, placing her hand lightly on his chest as she lifted her face to meet his. But she stopped when their lips were just a hair's breath away, looked at him with an unreadable expression, and then turned and walked away without another word.

Fiyero watched her as she disappeared from his view. He did not like the way she put up a wall between the two of them since they found out she was pregnant. He would talk to her tomorrow, he promised himself. He would talk to her and get everything sorted out. Now that he was no longer holding onto the flowers, he tucked his hands into the pockets of his coat, his fingers touching the black velvety box inside.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was evening time. Elphaba had some sandwiches for dinner in her room after cleaning her side of the room. Galinda was out shopping with her other girlfriends and would be back late.

She looked around the bedroom that she had shared with the blonde. Her side was plain, a mixture of dark shades of dark colours. Her books, all non-fiction, were neatly stacked and her bed was neatly made. The only exception to the 'gloom and doom' (Galinda's words) was the bouquet of poppies that Fiyero had given her earlier that day, which was now placed in a vase that belonged to her roommate. Galinda's side of the room, on the other side, was a riot of colours. Her bedsheets were white with white candy clouds, and she had different animal soft toys and dolls of different colours occupying her bed. On her study table, there were some cutesy metallic bookstands between her text books, and brightly coloured stationary, some with feathers. She had a noticeboard with pink borders in which she would scribble messages for herself ("Momsie's birthday!", "I Love Myself!", "Need green shoes to match new green dress!") in different colours. She even pasted the birthday cards and greetings cards that she had received on the wall above her study table. It was such great contrast between their two sides of the room, as were their personalities. However, to everyone's (including their) surprise, they had gotten along very well after the initial hiccups. Elphaba smiled as she thought of the fun and wonderful time that they had. She would miss Galinda.

There was a slight twitch on her tummy, and she placed her hand on it and though of the baby inside. A baby. One year ago, she would never expect that she would have a boyfriend, let alone got pregnant out of wedlock. It was funny how life turned out sometimes.

She let out a pent-up breath before she stood up and decided to take a quick shower, letting the hot water washed away the tiredness of the day. She was about to step out of the shower area to get her clothes when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She clenched her teeth as she tightened her grip on the towel rack and waited for the pain to pass. It did, and then she felt a gush of wetness. Elphaba looked down to see droplets of dark red blood dripping onto the shower floor, lightening in colour when it spread out on contact with the water on the wet floor. Before she could react, another wave of pain, more intense than the first, hit her. She blacked out, pulling her dress down with her as she fell.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fiyero made his way across the campus. It was unusually cold that night, and he pulled his coat closer to protect himself from the chilly winds. He knew that Elphaba had promised that they would talk tomorrow, but there was this strange feeling in his guts that refused to go away. He told himself that he was just being paranoia, but that guarded look that she had given him when he had seen her in the corridor, that near-kiss; everything felt wrong. He told himself that he would sleep better if he could see her again tonight.

He was about to reach the girl's dorm when he saw Malky running down the corridor. The Cat came to a stop when he saw the prince. He snarled at him, and Fiyero, forgetting that Malky was not supposed to speak in public, asked. "What happened?"

The Cat had more control than him, however, and only snarled again.

"It's Elphaba, isn't it?" Fiyero asked again, as his heart began to beat faster.

The Cat said nothing, but simply turned and run back towards the girls' room. Fiyero broke into a run.

He reached the dorm in no time, and knocked on the door. Just like that morning, it was opened by Galinda. She was still in the clothes that she had worn for her shopping trip, and had a slightly worried look on her face.

"Fiyero!" She exclaimed.

"Where's Elphaba?" He asked.

She turned back and pointed to the bathroom. "I don't know. I just came back, and the bathroom door was locked. I knocked on it and called her but there was no reply. But the door is locked. She must be inside. "

Fiyero pushed past the blonde and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Elphaba?" He called. "It's me. Can you open the door please? You're scaring Galinda."

"You're scaring me," he added.

But there was no reply from within.

Fiyero tried the door to find it truly locked. He looked back at Galinda and Malky, who was behind her.

"I am going to break the door," he told her.

Galinda nodded as she bit her lower lip.

Moving back a bit, he angled his body and banged against the door with his shoulders. The door shook but did not give way. He tried again, and this time round, the simple latch on the other side gave way and the door swung open with a loud bang as it slammed against the wall.

Galinda gasped.

Elphaba was on the shower floor, naked, her dress next to her. Her eyes were closed, her hair spread out like a gothic pillowcase on the wet floor. Fiyero saw an uneven line of reddish black down the length of her legs, obvious even against her dark skin, and the puddle of semi-dried blood on the floor. He felt the blood drained from his face.

Within a tick tock, however, he sprang into action and went over to her, grabbing the towel that was on the rack.

"Elphaba?" He called her again as he cradled her head in his arms. He thought she stirred a bit, but he could not be certain. Her body was wet and cold and he wrapped her with the towel. He quickly lifted her into his arms and carried her to her bed. She did not move. Fiyero made a split second decision and quickly dried her as much as he could before he took down her long coat from the hanger and put it on for her, fastening the strap around her waist. He carried her out of the room. Galinda and Malky followed.

He went towards the direction of the road where the carriages usually dropped off returning students. Oz, she was so light. Too light, and Fiyero wondered if it was normal for a grown female carrying a child to be so light and so thin.

"Fiyero! The infirmary is _that_ way!" Galinda shouted, pointing at the general direction of the infirmary.

"Not the infirmary! Trust me!" He turned back and shouted.

Luckily for them, a group of seemingly drunk students had just returned from a party from outside and the carriage was still waiting.

Fiyero quickly got into the carriage, and Galinda followed. Malky jumped into the carriage without a sound.

The driver turned back, and saw Elphaba in his arms.

"Who's that? Where are you bringing her?" He asked, not wanting to get into trouble.

"She's my girlfriend. She is drunk, and we are bringing her home," he lied.

The driver looked back and saw Galinda.

"Yes, she is drunk, and we got to bring her home." She reiterated.

The sight of a female companion who sang the same tune seemed to make the whole lie believable.

"Then where does your girlfriend live, young man?" He asked.

Fiyero gave Deliadora's address, and the carriage was on its way.

"Where are we going?" Galinda asked in a soft, urgent voice.

"Trust me," Fiyero told her, as he hugged Elphaba closer to him.

The journey seemed to take forever. Fiyero held her close to him throughout the whole journey, his fears growing every second that the blood would seep through her coat.

When they finally reached Deliadora's house, Fiyero paid the driver (thank goodness he always had money with him) and ran down the path towards the door.

He knocked the door with his shoes, not bothering to wait for Galinda to catch up, since both his hands are occupied.

It took a longer time than the day before for the door to open, and he was very grateful when it finally did.

It took Deliadora half a second to recognise them.

"She fainted," he told her, and the doctor quickly let them entered the room and ushered Fiyero into the room that she had checked on Elphaba the day before.

Fiyero placed Elphaba down on the bed behind the curtain, and stood there.

"We found her on the bathroom floor. She was bleeding," he told the woman. He did not need to state where.

Deliadora took a look at the girl on the bed and back to him again.

"Let me check on her. It might not be as bad as you think," She told him as she chased him out of the room.

Fiyero leaned against the door when the door was closed behind him. He looked at his hands. There was a smudge on his palm. _Her_ blood. He sank onto the floor.

After a while, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Fiyero?" He looked up. It was Galinda, whose face was showing a mixture of confusion and worry.

"What happened? Where is this place? Why are we here? Why didn't you bring Elphaba to the infirmary?" The poor girl had no idea what had happened.

"Galinda. I - ", he paused, and looked at the smudge on his palm and got lost in its significance. Galinda called his name again. He looked up at her, suddenly feeling very weary and lost.

"Lin, Elphaba is carrying my baby. And I think she is having a miscarriage." The usually happy-go-lucky prince buried his face in his hands, shocked at his own revelation, as if by voicing out his worst fear he had brought it one step closer to reality.

**A/N**

**This chapter is actually 'inspired' by a true event. One day during her first trimester, my friend went to the toilet and found that she was bleeding profusely.**

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**A/N Thank you JCBoLt, BookWorm001, James Birdsong and Bookworm741 for the reviews! :)**

**JCBoLt, please choose another flavour of sticks this week :P **

**BookWorm001, I think Fiyero is more affected. He seemed so… emo (simply because he loved her so much *dreamy*) (lol). Book-Elphie, yeah, you could be right after she 'rejecting' Liir because he somehow reminded her of Fiyero (afterall, there was that image of her rocking Liir with her foot in a bassinet so she should know that he was her son, but then I don't remember GM describing Liir to be a splitting image of Fiyero or looking remotely like him). As for what happened in chapter 13, there are (in my opinion) two reasons why it happened – the one reason was due to stress (reason mentioned at the end of this chapter and the next), and the other would be hinted heavily towards the end of the whole story. Fiyero has his own theory, which he will mention in chapter 19.**

**BookWorm741, welcome to the fanfic world of Wicked. You will love the characters even more after you had finished the book and dived into the world of fanfic. **

**And thank you for the new favourites and alerts!**

**Slightly short chapter here ….**

**With regard to the meaning of poppies in the previous chapter, I did some googling. Majority of the websites gave the same meaning for poppies, but there was one which said that it represented the loyalty and faith between lovers, so I used that instead (to fit the storyline). **

**BTW, I love writing my A/N replies as much as I love writing Wicked fanfic (both are therapeutic!)**

**And I missed writing Fiyeraba moments (realised that there was a lack of that in the recent few chapters).**

The two friends sat apart, each with their own thoughts – Fiyero replaying that terrifying moment in his head over and over again, and Galinda trying to digest the information. She knew that Elphaba had given herself to Fiyero, but the idea of her best friend being pregnant – it was incomprehensible. Elphaba was not the first girl she knew who had slept with her boyfriend, but why was she the only one she knew that got pregnant? Why skinny, underweight, malnourished Elphie? Galinda knew that she would be expelled from school once the news reached the administrative office. To Elphie, not being able to attend school would be a punishment worse than death. Why must such a thing happen to her best friend?

Fiyero sat there, staring at the floor but not seeing it. Instead he saw Elphaba lying there in her blood, unconscious. It was always so simple to him. All his relationships ended up in bed (though he had to admit that there were times when he woke up in bed with a girl whom he just met the night before at some party and would never meet again). It was just what he did when he was attracted to a girl. And he was more than attracted to Elphaba. He was in love with her. And now she had ended up in this state because of what he did. He wondered, with growing horror, what it meant to have a miscarriage. What kind of trauma it would be for Elphaba psychologically, what kind of shock it would be for her body, if she would be able to have children next time. And he wished that he had not given in to his desires. Although now he had done it, the idea of not being able to touch her, to feel her, to show her how much he loved her, was as cruel as giving a man the gift of touch and then taking it away.

Malky looked at the two from his prone position across the room, unnoticed.

The door to the room opened, and Deliadora came out, nearly tripping over the prince who was still on the floor. He scrambled up.

"How is she?" He asked.

Deliadora looked at Galinda, a questioning look on her face.

"She is Elphaba's roommate. She knew. So how is Elphaba?" Fiyero asked again.

"I had given her an injection. That had slow down her heartbeat and stabilise her condition. She is awake now. The bleeding was not much based on what I could see. I took her pulse and the baby's heartbeat is still strong so I do not foresee any danger. But it will be good if she can stay here for a few days so that I can continue to monitor her."

"Of course," he said. "So can I see her now?"

"Yes, you may. But please do not stress her anymore. Her heartbeat was very fast when she first came in. The injection that I had given her will tire her, so don't be surprised if she dozed off later."

Fiyero nodded and tried to enter the room but Deliadora stopped him.

"I think you should wash off the blood from your hands before you go in," she suggested, pointing him to the direction of the washroom.

Nobody noticed that the Cat had slinked off silently, his claws making no sound on the marble floor.

Fiyero quickly went to wash the blood off his hands, scrubbing twice to ensure that there was no more stain. When he went into the room, Galinda was already seated on the bed, hugging her green roommate in a deathly hug that threatened to cut off all blood circulation. He stood at the door, listening as Galinda told Elphaba how scared and worried she was when they found her in the bathroom, and how Elphaba should not have kept any secret from her.

It was only when Galinda released her that Elphaba noticed that Fiyero was at the door.

"Hey," she said, a weak smile on her face.

He smiled back. She was dressed in a simple night gown that looked like it was meant for an older woman; it was most probably Deliadora's. Her hair flowed around her and framed her pale green face, making her look like a beautiful yet fragile piece of emerald blown glass. It broke his heart to see her so weak, but she and the baby were safe for the moment, and it was all that mattered.

He put on a brave front and went in, taking her hands from Galinda, and kissed them.

"You gave me a scare," he told her gently. "Don't ever do that again."

She smiled.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Terrible?" She half-joked, which draw a laugh from him. He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead.

"So do you remember what happen?"

She nodded, placing her hand subconsciously on her abdomen.

"Is the baby alright?" She asked in hushed tone.

"Doctor Deliadora said the baby should be safe, but she will monitor for a few more days."

"So I cannot go back to Shiz tonight?"

"No, you are staying here for a few days. And I am not going back. I will stay with you." Fiyero told her.

He saw a strange look passed her face. It was almost like disappointment.

"But I –," she faltered.

"Nothing is more important than the health of you and your baby, Elphie," Galinda reminded her. "How can you even think about your studies now?"

Elphaba nodded, but there was a look of conflicting emotions on her face. Fiyero had no idea why. Perhaps she did not want to stay in a stranger's place overnight, he thought, knowing her reluctance to impose on others, but he would be there for her. They talked for a while longer (which basically meant that Galinda talked and everyone listened) and soon Elphaba began to show signs of sleepiness. The two left the room, with Galinda promising to come again the next day.

Outside the room, Fiyero passed Galinda his room key and requested that she brought over some of his clothes. He then made sure that Galinda boarded a carriage safely before he went back into Deliadora's house.

The doctor was waiting for him when he went back into the house.

"There is a bedroom upstairs, and you are welcome to use it," she told him.

He shook his head. "Do you mind if I sleep downstairs? I can sleep on the couch. I want to be close to Elphaba, just in case she needs any help in the middle of the night."

Deliadora looked at the young man in front of her. "Of course," she said kindly. "I will bring down the blankets and pillows. Would you like to have a change of clothes? My husband is about your height, but he is stouter now that he is older," she said with a chuckle.

Fiyero thanked her, and offered to go upstairs with her to get the stuff.

He found that Elphaba's eyes had closed when he went back downstairs with the blankets, pillows and a change of clothes. Quietly, he changed out of his clothes and into the clean pyjamas, putting on the top since he was staying at someone else' place. Deliadora was right, he felt like he was swimming in her husband's clothes.

"Fiyero?" Elphaba murmured when he kissed her on her forehead.

"Mmmm?" he replied, absentmindedly stroking her hair.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbled in her sleep.

"There's no need for you to apologise. Nobody expects this to happen." Fiyero kissed her again.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Fiyero woke up early the next morning and the first thing that he smelled was the delicious smell of freshly cooked egg. He stretched his body, which was cramped against the couch that was his makeshift bed for the night. His shoulder hurt, and he remembered that he had used that shoulder to break open the bathroom door the night before. He pressed his fingers against the muscles there and determined that it was most probably a bruise that would recover within a few days. Elphaba was still asleep, and he made his way out of the room and followed the smell to the kitchen.

"Good morning," he greeted Deliadora when he saw her in the kitchen.

"Good morning," she greeted him as she slid an omelette on a plate.

Fiyero noticed three sets of cutlery laid out on the table.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Famished. I am a growing boy."

"Great. I have made breakfast for three. You can choose to eat here, or bring it to the room and have your breakfast with Elphaba. Is she awake?"

"Not when I came out," he said as he sat down on one of the seats and helped himself with the breakfast.

"She needs her rest. Let's monitor her for one more day. She can get off the bed tomorrow if she shows no more sign of bleeding today."

Fiyero nodded.

"So," he asked, curiosity overcoming his sense of propriety. "Do you live alone?"

Deliadora smiled, seemingly not offended by that question. "No, this house is too big for a single occupant. I live with my husband, but he is out of town for business at the moment. He should be back in these few days, so you might have a chance to meet him," she said as she poured him a cup of coffee in which he thanked her. "What about you? What is a Vinkun doing so far away from home?"

"I came here to study," he answered her truthfully.

Deliadora nodded her understanding. "Oh yes, there are quite a few good universities around this area."

"I am from Shiz." He surprised himself by offering that nugget of information.

"Oh yes, Shiz. That's a good school." Deliadora smiled to herself as she relived her university days in her own mind.

By then, Fiyero had finished his breakfast, and he excused himself so that he could bring Elphaba's breakfast to the room.

"Now remember, do give her enough rest and do not stress her." Deliadora reminded him as he left the kitchen, the tray in his hand.

He found Elphaba trying to sit up when he entered the room.

"Hey," he said as he quickly rushed over and put the tray on the table next to bed before helping her.

He put the pillows behind her to support her back, and put the tray down in front of her. He then pulled the curtains open to let the sunshine came in.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a kiss.

"Good morning, Fiyero. I don't suppose you made the breakfast?"

He laughed. "No, Deliadora did. She's a gem."

"I agree. So can I get out of bed today?" She asked as she helped herself with the food.

He shook his head. "Not today. Deliadora said you should be able to get out of bed tomorrow if there is no bleeding today. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine, Fiyero. Really. But I won't be feeling so fine if this continues."

"What?" He got confused.

"Cabin fever?" she hinted.

He laughed again. "I will stay here with you today, and we can talk, read, whatever you want. Anything but getting out of the bed for you."

Again, he saw that look of disappointment on her face.

She picked at her food after that, and declared herself full when she had only eaten half of the breakfast. Fiyero fussed over her, insisting that she had to eat more as she was now eating for two. It did not work, and he reluctantly removed the tray from her. He brought it back to the kitchen where he helped Deliadora to wash the dishes, making small talk with the doctor as they stood side by side. There was a knock at the door just when he was almost done.

"I'll get it." Deliadora offered.

It was Galinda. She wore a bright and cheery pink and white sleeveless dress. She let down her hair, and it shined where it caught the sunlight. The whole outfit shouted happy, but the blonde was not smiling.

"Come in, dear. You looked upset. Is anything the matter?"

"Is Fiyero here?" she asked, her voice small.

Fiyero came out of the kitchen just then and Deliadora left the room to give them the privacy that she believed they needed.

"What is it, Galinda?" He asked. She was still standing at the door, biting her lower lip. He looked at the things she had with him. One of them was Elphaba's bag, the same one that she had brought to Emerald City a few months ago. The other was his bag, whom Galinda had most probably retrieved from his room.

Galinda came in and put both bags down as Fiyero closed the door behind her.

"Is Elphaba awake?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "She is in the room."

"Fiyero," Galinda started, "I really don't know to say this. But, but this morning I went to your room and packed your clothes, and then I went back to mine for her clothes. I couldn't find her bag –."

Fiyero did not understand. What did she mean that she could not find the bag when it was now next to her?

"I looked around, and then I saw it. It was under her bed. It was fully packed, Fiyero. With a few of her clothes, her oils, some books and the old sentimental stuff that she brought over from Munchkinland. And there were some letters tucked in the outside pocket, and a one-way train ticket to Emerald City."

Fiyero knew what she was going to say even before she continued.

The blonde looked up at him, her eyes red.

"She was planning to leave us, Fiyero."

**A/N Please review! **

**For the friend that I mentioned in the previous chapter, she was put on bed rest, and her son (that baby that she nearly miscarriaged) is now 4 years old.**

**Some of you might think that it is impossible... pregnant, with no sign of morning sickness, no increase in appetite, no weight gain? Yes, that is possible. **


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**A/N**

**Thank you to JCBoLt, BookWorm001, BookWorm741, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness for your reviews! :)**

**JCBoLt, yes, what are you doing at 4.30am in the morning? Just back from a party? (Ahh… too be young again.. when you are sleep only 2 hours everynight and still can function the next day :P) Hope this chapter compensates for the last 2 chapters :P**

**BookWorm001, I always thought that Elphaba had selective amnesia or selective-brain-refuse-to-function feature such that she did not know (consciously) that Liir was her son.**

**BookWorm741 (wow re: your cousin) I guess the whole family must be caught unaware!**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, why is Elphie running away? Because this fic is drama/romance (yes, drama first, romance second) LOL**

**And thanks for the new favourites and alerts! I do hope you are still reading and liking how the story goes **

**BTW,I got a half completed one-shot about what happen if Elphie managed to run away. Will post this when I post the last chapter for Changing Fate (cos it contains spoilers on what happen in the remaining chapters of Changing Fate)**

**Disclaimer : Fiyero belongs to Elphaba, Avaric belongs to Elphaba, and all 3 belongs to GM (sigh). **

Fiyero looked at Galinda, not believing what she had just said.

She continued.

"I know it is rude to read other people's letters without their permission, but one of them was addressed to me. So I – ", Galinda gave a look of helplessness as she took out the letters from Elphaba's bag and passed them to him, her manicured fingers trembling.

"I think you should read them too," she said.

He saw an envelope printed on the official Shiz stationary and took out the letter, since that letter would most probably be written by Madame Morrible and would offer the most information. The letter was written in the head mistress' familiar cursive handwriting and stamped with the official Shiz University wax.

_To the Wonderful Wizard of Oz,_

_As per our correspondences, you had indicated your interest in meeting Elphaba Thropp, who is currently studying in Shiz University. A date had been set previously, but now she is requesting for the appointment to be brought forward. I understand that you are a very busy man, but we will appreciate it if you can meet her at the earliest opportunity. Elphaba is an exceptionally bright and talented student, especially in the field of sorcery, and I am sure that you will not regret adjusting your schedule to meet her. _

_Yours faithfully, _

_Madame Morrible_

_Head Mistress_

_Shiz University_

He took out the next letter which was address to _My dear father and sister_.

_Dear Father and Sister,_ it read_._

_I am leaving Shiz. Please forgive me for not telling you earlier or in person. I'm sorry if I do not live up to your expectations of what a daughter and a sister should be, but there is something that needs to be done, and I have to do it now. After that, I might be away for a year or more, depending on how my plans worked out. I will try to write, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to visit you in the near future. Please arrange for Nanny to come to Shiz to take care of Nessa if necessary. Please take care of yourselves when I am gone. _

_Fabala_

The next letter was addressed to Galinda.

_Dearest Galinda,_

_I am leaving. I don't think I will be coming back to Shiz anymore. You have been a good friend, no, a great friend to me during my stay in Shiz and I will remember you forever. Please understand that I am unable to provide more information on my whereabouts as my plans are not finalised. We may meet again, maybe not. I wish you all the best, and may all your dreams come true._

_Elphaba._

The last letter was, naturally, addressed to him.

_Dear Fiyero,_

_I am leaving. Please forget me. I wish you happiness. _

_Elphaba._

Fiyero felt his hands trembled. In her two letters to her family and Galinda, she had given vague hints of keeping in contact. In her letter, or rather, note to him (since it was so incredibly short), she had mentioned _nothing_. She had not sought to console him, nor explain the reason for her departure. It was as if he had meant nothing to her. Or did she think that she had meant nothing to him?

"Fiyero," Galinda placed her hand on his shoulder when she noticed that he had read all the letters. "Maybe there is a misunderstanding? Maybe she wrote these letters long ago? Why don't we just clarify with her?" Fiyero looked at the blonde, and saw that she was not convinced by her own argument either.

The prince turned and walked back the bedroom without another word. He did not even notice that Galinda had followed him.

Elphaba was trying to get out bed when he reached the door. He stood at the door and watched her as she swung her legs slowly over the bed, placing them gingerly on the floor. She cautiously placed the weight of her body on her feet, with one hand on the drawers next to her for support. When her legs did not give way, she pushed herself off the bed using her hand, and stood up, her slightly shaky limbs a testimony on how weak she felt.

"Trying to run away from me again?" he asked, his voice bitter. "I didn't know that I mean so little to you," he added.

His voice caught her by surprise; she was so focused on getting out of bed that she had not noticed that Fiyero and Galinda had entered the room. Her hand slipped slightly, and her legs shook, and she quickly placed her other hand on the chest of drawers to support herself, leaning against the furniture to take off some of the weight from her feet. She looked at the prince, and saw the crumpled letters in his hands.

Galinda quickly rushed over and tried to support her, but Elphaba brushed her aside.

"Elphie, I found your bag with the letters. I'm so sorry," she tried to explain. Elphaba shook her head, trying to tell Galinda that it did not matter, that it no longer mattered. They had found out what she had planned to do and she was not going to deny anything.

"Fiyero -" was all Elphaba could say.

"What? That you are sorry? That you do not intend to leave? That somehow a one way train ticket to Emerald City dropped from the sky onto your lap? That Madame Morrible forced you to leave Shiz?"

He stared at her for a long time, until she turned away. And when she spoke, it was barely a whisper.

"I've heard that there are some maunteries in the Emerald City that will accept pregnant women who have nowhere to go, and will let them stay until the baby is born."

Fiyero had heard of the maunteries too, and he knew what would happen when the babies were born. The mother would most probably be sent away with the baby, where fate would decide if they died or survived, or the baby would be given up for adoption if the mother so desired. Both are not the solutions that he wanted for Elphaba and their baby.

"You mean that you have nowhere to go? You have Shiz. You have Vinkus. You have Munchkinland. And what happen when the baby is born? Will you give it up for adoption?" He hated to use the word 'it', but how did you know the gender of the baby even before 'it' was born?

She simply looked down, staring at her feet.

Galinda tried to intervene. "Elphie, you must be tired. Do you want to sit down?"

The green girl only shook her head and tightened her grip on the top of the drawers.

"Great plan you have there. And what about sneaking off in the middle of the night? So that if things didn't work out, you can come back and ask Deliadora to abort the baby before it is too late?" He did not even realise that he was almost shouting, and that he had crushed the letters in his hand, his knuckles white from the fist that he had made.

He knew he was being unreasonable, and the way her head snapped up with a sharp intake of breath told him that she had never considered that option. That she had never considered to abort their baby. He immediately felt guilty for accusing her, and he could not deny that he also felt some relief in knowing that she was not a monster that he feared she could be.

"So you actually think that I will kill an innocent life? Is that how you see me? A murderer who will kill her own child just because it inconveniences her?" He saw the hurt in her eyes, just a flash before she squeezed her eyes shut so that he could not read her eyes. It was almost too much for him to bear. He wanted to go over immediately and pulled her into his arms, apologised for everything, and kissed the hurt away. But he knew that there would always be that doubt if he did not clear up everything.

"Then why did you want to run away?" he asked, wanting some answers.

She looked away again, away from Galinda, away from him. She pursed her lips, and it was a long time before she spoke again.

"I don't want you to marry me," came her answer.

Galinda felt like leaving at that point. She did not know that Fiyero had proposed to Elphaba, and felt that her presence was unnecessary. But she did not know if her help, in anyway, would be needed. So she stayed next to Elphaba, trying to keep herself as inconspicuous as possible.

Elphaba lifted her head up.

"You are a prince, Fiyero. You have been living a charmed life. You have no idea what hardship is. You want to marry me because you feel obligated to do so, because you want to be responsible. But in the long run, you will resent me when you finally realise what you got yourself into. You are only twenty-one, and you want to be burdened with a wife and a child? You are too young to get married. You will resent me after six months, or after one year. You will realise that you need to grow up but you cannot grow up fast enough."

She wanted to stop then, but the words tumbled out on their own, as if they had a life of their own and her voice no control within her control. "You will hate me for ruining your life and I cannot live with that. If I am gone, you might hate me for what, six months? But you will move on, you will finish your studies. You will meet someone else - ," her hand reached up to cover her mouth, but there was not covering that sob that escaped from her throat.

Fiyero dropped the papers in his hand. In two strides he was at her side. He pulled her to him, ignoring a 'No!' that she choked out when she felt his embrace.

It was as if his touch triggered a release to the emotions that had been pent-up for the past few days. Elphaba tried to bite onto her knuckles to stop the sobs from coming, while her other hand tried to push herself away from Fiyero, but he would have none of that. He pulled her closer to him, a hand cradling the back of her head, while another wrapped around her waist, holding her close to him, until she gave up and cried onto his chest, her hands clinging onto him as if he was her lifeline, her body shaking uncontrollably with each fresh bout of tears.

It was the first time that both Fiyero and Galinda had seen her cry.

Fiyero held her close, whispering what he hoped were soft, comforting words to her as he pressed his cheek to her hair. He let her cry it out, feeling the pain and the emotions that she had been keeping from him with each drawing of her breath, and felt guilty for not catching all these signs earlier.

"Well, if being with you means that my life will be ruined, then by all means, go ahead and ruin it," he half joked, hoping that she would give him a glare.

Elphaba pulled away from him, but she did not glare at him as he had hoped. He let her sat on the bed, and waited for her to calm down. She brushed away her tears, hating herself for behaving like a weak, irrational member of the fairer sex. The last time she cried was during Melena's funeral, when the coffin was lowered in the shallow grave and she realised that she would not seeing her mother anymore. In her mind, she tried to tell herself that this was nothing compared to losing her mother years ago, but her body refused to listen.

Fiyero held her hands again when she had done wiping her tears, unwilling to break the physical contact.

"It's not funny, Fiyero," she spoke onto her lap. "You will feel the burden after a while. You can't see it now, but it will be best if I go. You will thank me for this next time."

Fiyero pulled a chair over and then lowered his head so that he could look up at her. He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles, kissing the teeth marks that she had made on her own skin moments ago.

"Do you think that I will be happy if you disappear from my life? "Fiyero asked her, speaking in a low soft voice as he rubbed little circles on her knuckles using his thumbs.

"Do you think that I will forget about you and move on? That I will not try to look for you? That I will thank you for disappearing from my life? I suppose you don't know me as well as I thought. I will not marry you if you don't want to, but I want to be with you."

"Give me," he shook his head, "no, give _us_ a chance to work this out. I admit that I am not perfect. I will make mistakes. I will make so many mistakes that you will roll your eyes constantly, and maybe even hate me for being so stupid. I will, I don't know, drop the baby, and feed the wrong way until you worried that the baby will inherit my brainlessness. You may even regret staying, and contemplate to run away again. And I will drive you crazy because I do not learn as fast as you can, as fast as you want me to. I will need your help, your guidance, your patience and your love."

"Yes," he nodded his head, "definitely lots and lots of patience from you. But I will learn. Slowly, but surely I will learn. Give me a chance to prove you wrong."

He paused, and thought for a while before he spoke again.

"Give me one year. One year from the birth of our child. If you still think that I am not good enough in one year's time, if you still think that it will not work out, then - ", he took a deep breath before he continued. "Then I will let you go."

Elphaba continued to look down at her lap, at their intertwined hands that were on her lap. There was no response from her.

"Remember when I told you that I want to be the first person that you thought of in the morning and the last thing on your mind at night? " Fiyero continued. "That is what you are to me. You are my first thought every morning and my last thought before I sleep every night. There is a tie between us, Elphaba. I am sure you feel it, because I feel it every single day. On certain days, it felt like I had forgotten to bring something important with me and it would nag at me the whole day. On other days, it was all I could to stop myself from dropping what I was doing and just ran to where you were so that I could see you and hear you. Don't you feel it? How can you walk away from a bond like this?"

There was still no response from Elphaba, but she looked up slightly and looked at Fiyero, her eyes brimming with wetness. Fiyero lifted a hand and wiped a newly formed tear from her eye with his thumb. He then tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her gently on her lips.

"I love you, Elphaba Thropp. And I want you. And I will do anything just to be with you. Which part do you not understand?"

Galinda, who had stood there watching the whole scene, tried to hide a smile when she heard that. She slipped from the room, unnoticed by her two friends. She did not need to stay on to know that her best friend would not run away again.

**A/N Alright, fluff fluff. Sometimes I think Fiyero talk too much :P**

**Please review! **

**BookWorm001, I smiled when I read your review for chapter 14, because that is the second time you managed to guess what happen next (your guessing is realllllll gooooooddddd). I think you will be able to complete this fic if ever I stopped writing…. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**A/N Thank you Fabala Throp, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, JCBoLt, LittleMissDelirious, James Birdsong and BookWorm001 for the fantastic reviews!**

**Fabala Throp, thank goodness you find it beautiful, I was half afraid that it will be too wordy.**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, we'll see ;P**

**JCBoLt, thank you for your review and the sweet PM =) so you care about more books? **

**LittleMissDelirious, thank you so much for reviewing all the past chapters…**

**Chap11 : LOL your false alarm is so funny. Reminds me of the recent BCP we had in office… I might just add a new Cat character into the resistance Fiyeraba fic that I had in mind (if I am still writing then) . Looking forward to you being a 7 seasoned author =)**

**Chap12 : I have not tried acupuncture before either, but it sure sounded OUCH. The thing about the baby pulse was by checking your pulse by pressing on your inner wrist though (no needles).**

**Chap13 : LOL so that's your meaning of not getting into trouble :P For all you know, there might be little Rics running around Shiztown & EC...**

**Chap 14 : Yep, told my friend about you… via fb (oh well.. too little time to meet up with friends, especially when she had 2 kids and a full time job). I like Galinda here too. Unfortunately I cannot really write her more often... I like her in FTLOAD too, especially that engagement ring part.. it was hilarious!**

**Chap15 : Elphie can marry her cause (in the book), but YOU are not allowed to marry my story. I don't want the whole Delirious family to take a plane just to hit me on my head with a copy of The Wicked Years.**

**James Birdsong, thank you so much! Appreciate the glowing review. Noticed that you have reviewed almost every fanfic, are you a moderator for this website? **

**BookWorm001… thanks! I love (actually the correct word is 'obsessed' for my case :P) Fiyeraba stuff too! And you can work as a detective!**

**I rewrote a particular part at least six times. I am sure pretty all of you know which scene it is after reading :P**

**Just FYI, updates in March might be slower due to work… =( (I am trying out these new bigger-eye smiley hoping that ff will not remove them during uploading. It does not mean I had lasik or something)**

The next morning, Doctor Deliadora walked into the room soon after dawn and saw the prince sharing the single bed with Elphaba, her back flushed against him, his arms wrapped around her protectively, their breathing in synchrony. She smiled to herself, and went back to the kitchen and busied herself there until the couple woke up.

She kind of knew what happened the day before even though she had stayed away. The shouts, the accusations, and then the making up; it was pretty exciting for Deliadora actually. Fiyero stuck close to Elphaba for the rest of the day. He would hold her hand, kiss her on her cheek, stroke her hair, touch her arm, hug her or simply gazed at her with a smile on his face until Elphaba turned away, her face red. He even tore up the letters and train ticket and declared that they were no longer needed because she was staying. Galinda giggled, and announced after lunch that she had seen enough of Fiyero's open display of affection and left. By the evening, Deliadora noticed that the sadness in Elphaba's eyes was almost gone, and she had to admit to herself that the prince did know what would work.

The doctor did a full checkup on Elphaba after breakfast, and was pleased that there had been no further sign of bleeding and the girl had not reported any more pain.

"Would you like to go out for some fresh air today?" Deliadora asked Elphaba.

"Can I?" Elphaba asked, her face brightening.

"Yes. You are still quite weak, so I will prefer if you stay within the compound. You can go for a walk in the garden. I have a garden at the back of the house too. The flowers are in full bloom. And I have beautiful vines that climbed high up on the wall," she stretched her hand up to indicate a height much taller than herself. The message was clear – the walls would be high enough to provide any privacy that they needed.

"That sounds lovely," Fiyero said. And then he turned to Elphaba. "The fresh air will do you good."

"I will be busy today, for I am expecting my husband to be back. But do call for me if you need any help." Deliadora told them as she left the room.

Fiyero helped Elphaba as she changed into one of her dark colour dresses that Galinda had brought from Shiz. She then braided her own hair, feeling much better when her hair is out of her face. When she was ready, Fiyero stood next to her and wrap his arm around her waist to support her as she tried to get out of the bed.

"I'm not an invalid, Fiyero," she said stubbornly, despite the fact that she did lean slightly against him for support.

"You have not gotten out of bed for more than one day. I don't want you to fall flat on your face and break your pretty nose." He answered, tapping his finger on her nose with the index finger from his other hand. She smiled at his remark.

On the way out, it occurred to him that it could be cold outside and he grabbed his coat that was hanging from a hook on the wall with his free hand.

The back garden was smaller than the one at the front. And there was that high wall which provided the privacy hinted by Deliadora. Fiyero let go of Elphaba and let her walked ahead on her own. He watched for a while, and then caught up with her and held her hand.

"Was I unsteady?" She asked with a frown.

Fiyero gave her a smile. "No, I just want to hold your hand," he told her. Elphaba blushed.

They walked around the garden, silently looking at the flowers. Soon, they came upon a stone table and chairs similar to the ones they had seen in the garden at the front and sat down.

"Are you feeling alright?" Fiyero asked.

"A little tired," she admitted, "but I'm feeling fine. It's good to be out."

They sat there for a while, before Elphaba hesitantly told him about her initial plans. She spoke to Madame Morrible about visiting the Wizard earlier, claiming some personal reasons. She wanted to meet the Wizard, and to plead her case for the Animal Banns. The original plan was for her to stay in the Palace, but she had no intention of staying even if offered. She did not want the Wizard to find out about her pregnancy as he would most probably write to Madame Morrible about it. It was going to be her secret, and no one should know.

"And after that?" Fiyero asked.

"I'll look for a job, any job. I need to start earning and save up for the days when I am not able to work. Maybe by then I will find a mauntery and stay there? I really don't know, Fiyero. I know that I will move away if the baby is green. But if the baby turns out normal, I may be tempted to give it up for adoption if a good family comes along. The baby will be much happier with a complete, loving family than with a single mother who is green. I was ostracised when I was younger because of my skin. Even till now, people still make up their mind about me the moment they saw my skin colour. I cannot imagine what kind of taunts the child will have to endure with a mother with green skin. It's not fair."

Fiyero kissed her hand. "And you think that it's fair to me when you were planning to leave me? Why are you so stubborn and so insistent on certain matters? I cannot imagine what will happen if the baby turned out to be as stubborn as you."

She looked away.

"We might be able to go back to Shiz before the week is out," he told her after a while.

"I'll move out," she said after a pause. She knew that Madame Morrible would not let her stay on even though she was her prized pupil. Doing so would set a bad precedence. She suspected that her next 'home' would be a small, run-down place, because she would not be getting any help from her family. Her father would be so disappointed in her that she would be lucky if he did not disown her.

"I'll go with you," he told her.

"No, you are staying in Shiz. You are not dropping out."

"I am not dropping out. I will be expelled. At least this time it will be due to a different reason. A good reason."

She glared at him. "Fiyero!"

He laughed at her outburst.

"Or we'll go and find a school that is willing to accept us without a marriage licence," he promised her.

"Fiyero, I believe that you have run out of universities to go to. Why go through all the hassle? They have no reason to expel you if I don't give a name."

It was his turn to be shocked.

"Elphaba! Everyone in Shiz knows that we are together. There is no way I can get out of it."

"Not if I said otherwise," she told him.

"What?"

"I can always say that the father is somebody else. Some one night stand."

She looked down, twisting her fingers with the fabric of her dress, embarrassed even by the mere idea of another man touching her.

The enigma that was women! Or maybe it was just with pregnant women. The mood swings, bad decisions, strange theories and constant fickle mindedness. It drove him crazy. And to think that he was supposed to put up with it for another seven months. But Fiyero knew that he would gladly go through seven months of mood swings. The alternative was unthinkable.

"Elphaba, I thought our new mantra is 'we'? No more 'you' or 'I'?" he told her.

"We?" she raised her eyesbrows.

"Yes, 'we'. You and me. Together," he cupped her face and leaned in for a kiss. A kiss that became two, then rolled into a third and it was some time before they stopped. They were gentle kisses, just like the sleep they shared the night before, but they were sweet nonetheless.

"It's getting chilly," he told her. He turned, holding up his coat so that she could slip her arms inside the sleeves. There was a slight breeze, and Elphaba tucked her hands into the pockets for warmth. It was then that Fiyero saw the strange look that flickered across her face. He saw her mouth opened slightly before she turned and looked at him.

"Fiyero – " she began.

"What?" He looked down at her lap, wondering if she experienced any pain or started to bleed again.

"I thought I said no."

He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about and looked back at her with confusion until she removed her hands from the pockets and he saw, in her right hand, the little black box.

He had forgotten all about it.

He covered her hand with his and gently took away the box.

"Elphaba, please let me explain. I actually got this when we were in Emerald City. We were walking past the shops when I saw this beautiful ring in one of the jewellers. We went into one of the bookstores, and I slipped out because I just had to look at the ring again. It was a Vinkunite ring, and the shade was a perfect Arjiki blue. It was just what I was looking for. They did not have it in your size, so I arranged for the ring to be resized and for Marmon to collect it and to deliver it to Shiz. I got it a few weeks ago, and I had wanted to propose to you on your birthday. One year for us to be engaged and for Marmon to prepare the wedding. But when you got pregnant, I just decided to bring it forward. It was in my pocket when I went to look for you on Saturday morning with the flowers. And with all the things that followed, it just slipped my mind."

He looked at her. Her eyes were dark, her expression unreadable.

"I had wanted to marry you even before you got pregnant, even before we went to Emerald City. I wrote to my parents about it, and that was why they wanted to meet you." He added, "I told them that I had met the girl that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

It all fell into place then. Why Fiyero had insisted that she had to meet his parents despite their hectic schedule, and why the King went all the way just to speak to her alone and to ask her all those strange questions about her plans after graduation. Elphaba looked at him, not knowing what to say.

Fiyero took a deep breath and went down on one knee as he opened the box, its content facing her. He was about to open his mouth when he realised that his mind was blank.

Totally blank.

The Arjiki prince was always good with words. His charm and wittiness had gotten him into countless relationships and gotten him out of trouble on several other occasions. And now, his mind had failed him in the most important moment of his life (in his opinion).

Damn.

He looked at Elphaba who looked back at him. He was sure he looked like a fool. Or an idiot. Or both.

"I don't know, Yero," she confessed, her voice soft, the uncertainty alarmingly loud.

He swallowed.

"Elphaba, I know that you think I am too young, too pampered and too brainless for this. Sometimes I think that you are too pessimistic, too stubborn and think too much. We're both not perfect. But I think we complement each other. _ I think_ we're perfect for each other. You don't want me to marry you because of the baby, but is it wrong of me to want to marry you because I want to spend the rest of my life with you?" he asked.

He took the ring from its box.

"This is my heart, Elphaba. Will you accept it?"

He stayed on his knees, watching for any sign on her face, wishing that he could hear her thoughts so that he knew what she was thinking. And then she gave a slight smile and kneeled down as she buried her face onto his neck, her arms tight around him.

"So," he asked hesitantly, "is that a yes?" He felt her nod against his skin, and a sob.

He lifted her face to see her eyes red.

"Hormones," she apologised and she pressed her lips to his. He tilted slightly and kissed her deeply, tasting the the sweetness that was Elphaba and the saltiness of her tears.

"I don't mind," he told her truthfully as he kissed her on the lips again. "I don't mind at all." And then he remembered the ring.

Elphaba did not say a single word, but simply put out her hand. With shaking hands, Fiyero slipped the ring onto her fourth finger, the blue gemstone looking surprisingly beautiful against her green skin.

He then pulled her up and into his arms again and they stayed like that for a long time.

"I suppose we should go back and tell Deliadora the good news?" he asked when he released her.

She simply smiled at him shyly and laced their fingers together. Fiyero could feel the metal ring against his skin. It felt good. He turned to lead the way back to the house but then stopped.

"I think they already knew," he told Elphaba.

For standing at the doorway to the house was Deliadora, Marmon and his parents.

The couple walked up to them.

"Hello, Father. Hello Mother." Fiyero greeted his parents, surprised that his voice could be so calm.

"I've heard that you have gotten yourself into some trouble," King Marillot said.

"Says who?"

Malky came out from behind the King.

"Says me."

"It's his job to keep me informed," the King told him.

"But I thought I saw you redeeming yourself," the king added and gestured where the stone chairs were.

"How much did you hear?" Fiyero shuffled his feet slightly, embarrassed that his proposal was witnessed by his parents.

"We couldn't hear anything, but we were standing here when we saw you went down on one knee," his mother said, a huge smile on her face.

"Son, I think we need to talk."

Great. Another hurdle.

Deliadora briefly introduced her husband, a Vinkun by the name of Drue, to Fiyero and Elphaba. It seemed that the doctor and her husband were friends with the King and Queen. Apparently, Malky had run off after Fiyero brought Elphaba to Deliadora's house and had found the King and Queen with Drue in some business dealings in Gillikin and had updated them.

"You are the worst charge I ever had," the Cat declared, entirely at ease with insulting the prince in front of his father.

Deliadora and Drue left them alone after serving some tea and cakes.

"I won't beat around the bush," the King said. "I want the marriage to take place as soon as possible. "

"I – We have no problem with that. It will solve the problem with Shiz anyway," Fiyero agreed.

"And I want you to hide the pregnancy."

"How? Why?"

"Son, you know the tribe. What will they think when a child is conceived out of wedlock? You are the crown prince. There must not be any doubt that the child is yours."

"The baby is mine," he told the King firmly. Oz, first Elphaba wanted to lie that he was not the father, and now the Arjiki tribe was going to doubt the baby's legitimacy?

"We do not doubt that. But when it comes to power struggle, just that little doubt can cause a rift among the people. You wouldn't want your child to suffer from that. It's unnecessary."

"How far is the pregnancy?" Queen Baxiana asked.

"Two months," Elphaba replied. It was the first time she spoke since she had come back to the house.

The Queen turned and looked at her husband. They did not say anything but there seemed to be non-verbal agreement reached between them. And then the Queen turned to Fiyero and Elphaba again.

"We can always say that the baby come early by two months. It is not uncommon. But that will mean that you have to get married immediately."

"Immediately? Like now?" Fiyero asked.

"We'll get a Vinkun priest and an officer to come in from Emerald City for the wedding tomorrow afternoon."

"And Elphaba," the King addressed her, "I understood that you are going to visit the Wizard. You will need to cancel that."

Her eyes grew wide.

"You want me to give up everything?"

"You will be part of the Arjiki royal family, and whatever you say or do could be construed as coming from the Arjiki tribe or the Vinkun Council. I understand that you have an interest in the unfair treatment of the Animals. I have to say that the Vinkun Council had a similar stand, but that does not mean that you can march up to the Wizard's Palace and talk to him as an individual; you will have to move at our pace. Politics is as much a dance as it is a battle of wits."

Fiyero tightened his grip on her hand the moment his father mentioned the Wizard, and now Elphaba turned and looked at him. He knew how important the Animals' plight was to her. He knew that she would most probably rate it higher than him if she was ever asked to prioritise. And now his father wanted her to choose. He had nearly lost the baby and her, and thought that it was all over, but now it seemed that he would still lose her in the end.

Elphaba was looking at him, and he wondered what she saw on his face, in his eyes. He wondered if she saw the fear, his fear of losing her. And then she slowly removed her hand from his and looked down, her fingers twisting the ring in her finger before she took it out. She looked at the ring, yet not seeing it. In her mind, she thought about Fiyero and how much he loved her. She thought about how disappointed her father would be, about Nessarose and the disapproving look that her sister would give her. And then her thought went back to Fiyero again. That silly boy prince who somehow saw something in her that nobody else saw, who chose her when he could have any girl, who made her heart ache with all the things that he did and all the words that he said. She looked up at the King, as she slipped the ring back into her finger without looking.

"I will cancel the visit to the Emerald City."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Elphaba quickly wrote a letter to Frex, but she knew that the letter would most probably not reach him on time. She also wrote another letter Galinda to update her on the latest news. She knew that the blonde would nag at her for the next few years if she was not informed and not invited. It would be faster if Fiyero went back to Shiz to deliver the message, but he hovered over her like a mother hen, afraid that his parents might say something else in his absence and tilted the balance. Deliadora offered to find a messenger to deliver the letter to Shiz instead.

"I'm not going to run away," she assured him.

He turned and smiled at her. "I never said you are going to run away. I just want to spend more time with you. Do you realise that it is going to be the last day that I can call you Miss Thropp?"

"You never address me that way," she reminded him.

"You're right." He grinned. He was next to her on the couch, looking at but not registering the words on the book that was in Elphaba's hands.

"But come tomorrow, you will be Mrs Tiggular. Mrs. Fiyero. Tiggular." He whispered into her ear. "I like that," he added as he slipped an arm around her waist. She shivered.

"Stop that."

"Why?" he feigned hurt.

"You're making me - think of things that I shouldn't be thinking of right now," she told him, blushing again. He laughed, and hugged her from the side.

"That makes the two of us."

Just then, they heard a cough at the door. They looked up and saw the Queen.

"Mother."

"Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty? You are going to be part of the family, Elphaba. So why are you still so formal with me? Shouldn't you be calling me Mother?" The Queen smiled at her future daughter-in-law.

"Yes, Mother." It took her a while to choke out the words. It had been a long time since she had called anyone by that name. And it made Elphaba remembered her own mother. She wondered how Melena would react knowing that her daughter would be getting married, and wished, with a pang in her heart, that she was still around and would be there for her wedding.

"My dear son," she addressed Fiyero,"the royal Arjiki rings will only be ready in a few months' time, but I am thinking that it may be a good idea for the two of you to be wearing some simple Ozian wedding rings to show the Shiz population that you are really married."

He beamed at his mother. "That's a great idea, Mother."

The Queen nodded her head. "I had asked Marmon to pick something up from Emerald City. Something simple for you to wear until the Arjiki rings are ready."

It was only after the Queen had left that he noticed the frown on Elphaba's face.

"What is it?"

"Three rings. Why do I need three rings?" she asked partly to herself, the crease on her forehead deepening.

Fiyero sat next to her, his arms resting on the back of the couch. He had been so used in changing between the different roles he had in his life – as a dancing-through-life prince enjoying the luxuries of life; performing his royal duties as a prince and showing the outside world that the Arjiki tribe was an educated, civilised tribe; joining the tribe in their annual sojourn to the Thousand Year Grassland with nothing but the clothes on his back and a knife – that he had never given a second thought as if how different each role was, and how difficult it would be someone else to do that. He turned and looked at her. She was reading her book again, although the frown was still on her face, as if she was still bothered by the fact that she was going to own three rings, a fact will drive any other girl squealing with delight. He thought about how she would fare in her upcoming role as part of the Arjiki royal family. She might say that she was not comfortable with changes, but he had no doubt that she would perform her new roles very well. He was very sure of that. He was not sure how she would react to all the jewellery and finery that she would be expected to own as a princess though. His arm slipped slightly and grazed against her shoulder, and Elphaba brushed it off absentmindedly, her eyes still on the book, slightly annoyed at the distraction.

Fiyero chuckled softly to himself. She might be on her way to be his wife and a princess, but she would always be Elphaba. And he would not want it any other way.

**A/N Vinkunite was a precious blue gemstone found in the Vinkus (something that I came up with when I was writing 4 weeks). Inspired by Superman's kryptonite :P**

**Just could not help incorporating a kneeled down scene like ALAYM. :P**

**Review please! =)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**A/N **

**Hi firstly sorry for missing last week. Had been up to my neck with work (working on weeknights and weekends until one eye started to swell and one nostril started to run, both on the left side. It's funny in a way).**

**Thank you ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, James Birdsong & Bookworm741 for the reviews.**

**James Birdsong, wow… thank you for reading fanfics everyday! I think it is great of you to leave reviews, especially when it comes to new writers who are in need of a boost =)**

**BookWorm741, LOL, weddings are troublesome in real life, and knowing Elphie….. you know what to expect. Frex will appear in the next chapter (it will not be what you think). **

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, whatever I want to say.. is in that PM =)**

**And thank you for the new alerts and favourites! =) **

**Again, updates till early April might be slow, because it is enrolment (yeah, I work in a higher education institution) season, so please bear with me (and I thought that I can finish this fic by end April!)**

**Last week a few friends were chatting via whatapps about handsome celebrities and photos were flying around. I just kept quiet and read their messages. And wonder what will their reaction be if they ask me for my choice and I sent them a picture of Fiyero Tiggular (of course, the difficult decision would be – **_**which**_** Fiyero? Adam Lambert? David Harris? Richard Blake? (Yes, I hear somebody shouting Aaron Tveit :P))**

The first thing Elphaba felt when she woke up at dawn the next morning was the warmth from Fiyero as he spooned against her, his arms around her. She had no idea how he could sleep like this, but apparently he could, for it was the second night that he slept in that position the whole night.

Some people were just born to be cuddlers, she thought, as she kept still and let herself enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms.

"What are you thinking?" she heard his voice behind her. Elphaba stiffened, surprised that he knew that she was awake even though she had not moved a single bit.

"Your breathing. It changes when you wake up," he told her, his lips brushing against her neck as he snuggled closer to her.

She turned to face him. "So why are you up so early in the morning?" she teased the usual late riser.

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted. "I can't wait for the day to start so that I can marry you."

Elphaba laughed. "Glib-tongued."

Fiyero smiled, and tried to kiss her, and wished that they were somewhere else instead of Deliadora's guest room, where anyone could walk in any moment, but Elphaba suddenly remembered that she was no longer on bed rest, and she quickly turned and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She turned and looked at him, a smirk on her face.

"Rise and shine, Fiyero."

He groaned. "You can be pretty active for someone who is always stuck in a chair with a book. Is it going to be like this everyday after we got married?"

"Having regrets?" she mocked him, a hand on her hip.

Fiyero covered his face with the pillow and pretended to groan again, and then quickly lifted up a corner of the pillow to grin at her, looking irresistible even with his hair dishevelled and half his face creased after sleeping on the same side the whole night.

"No way," he told her.

Galinda arrived after breakfast. She was wearing a sleeveless off-white dress that reached her ankles with pink ribbon around the waist and matching pink heels. Her hair was curled and tied up at the back with a matching pink ribbon, the ringlets cascading down her back. Pink crystal earrings and bracelet completed her ensemble. Her makeup was faultless, a combination of smokiness and blush. The image was beautiful, like a portrait drawn of a loveliest girl anybody's eyes had set on.

That beautiful image was broken the moment she stepped into the house.

"Elphie!" She threw her arms around her best friend as she squealed, nearly deafening everyone. "You're getting married! I'm so excited! So are the flowers and musicians here yet?"

"No. There will be no flowers and no dancing," Elphaba told her.

"What?" Her eyes grew wide.

"How are we going to arrange for all these in such a short notice? " Fiyero interjected. "Besides, Elphaba does not care for such things."

"Fiyero, that's an excuse and you know it! I am beginning to doubt your sincerity!" Galinda retorted as she hit him with her handbag (coincidentally, it was the same bag that he had bought for her from Oz'Couture in Emerald City).

Fiyero stepped back but did not manage to avoid the first hit.

"Now who is this spirited young lady?" A voice behind him asked.

Galinda stopped short.

"Galinda, I would like you to meet my parents, King Marillot and Queen Baxiana of the Arjiki tribe," Fiyero introduced. "Father, Mother, this is Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands. She is Elphaba's roommate."

"Best friend," she corrected him, and curtseyed to his parents, all sweet and demure again. "Your Majesties."

King Marillot laughed. "Why I supposed all those rumours about Fiyero being surrounded by pretty girls are true afterall."

Elphaba looked at Fiyero's parents. For a moment, she wondered if they wished that their son had chosen this beautiful blonde with fair skin and immaculate makeup as his wife instead of her. Afterall, she was the kind of girl whom every boy would want to date, and Galinda and Fiyero did date for a while. The next moment, she felt Fiyero touching her gently on her back.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing," she lied.

"Sweet Lurline, I nearly forgot!" Galinda exclaimed as she turned and went to the luggage that she had brought with her. She pulled out a dress like a magician pulling out a rabbit.

"Tah dah!" She said. "I know that you asked me to bring that dress you got from Emerald City, but that dress is dark! So I put on my thinking ribbon and here it is! Your wedding dress!"

"What?"

But Galinda was right. It was a dress suitable for a simple wedding ceremony. The dress was made of silk and was white in colour. It was off-shoulder and had an embroidered top with long flowing sleeves with empire cutting. The skirt came in two layers; a white skirt underneath with an outer layer of sheer that gave the impression of icicles formed on a frozen waterfall.

"Technically it is my wedding dress," she explained. "A girl should always have something resembling a wedding dress. You never know when you have to ride into the sunset with your prince charming," she said dreamily as she pressed the dress against herself and did a half twirl. Trust Galinda to hold such a theory.

"Sometimes I really think I must be your fairy godmother," she added, feeling very proud of herself. "But that would make me too old," she whispered.

"And," she dug into the bag again. "I had brought curler, foundation, primer, blusher, mascara, lipstick, powder, pencil liner –," and Elphaba regretted writing to her.

"Oh, and by the way, I skipped class today, but it is all for a good cause," she beamed.

Galinda pushed Elphaba into the bedroom, and then pushed Fiyero (who had followed them in) out. She then closed and locked the door before she started to work.

Everyone could recognise a girl on a mission when they saw one, and so they left the two alone. This continued until a carriage came from the train station and dropped off three men who had travelled all the way from Emerald City.

Deliadora knocked on the door.

Galinda opened the door slightly and popped her head out.

"Both the priest and the officer is here," Deliadora told her.

"I am not going to release the bride until it is time for the ceremony. Are the flowers here yet?" She had instructed Drue to go to the market to get a hand bouquet ("mixture of wild colourful flowers. Not roses. Elphie is not a rose.").

"Yes, Drue is back with the flowers, and Fiyero is changing, " Deliadora told Galinda.

"Terrififying," she said and then shut the door again.

The plan was for the Vinkun priest to bless the couple, before the wedding officer presided the signing of the papers.

A typical Vinkun royal wedding was usually held on an auspicious day after consulting the almanac, needed at least six months of planning and consisted of three full days and nights of celebration, but the King decided to cut off all the frills and only left the most important part – the blessings from heaven and earth, and the gods. The priest tried his best to negotiate for 'a more complete blessing' up till the last moment, to no avail.

When Galinda was sure that everyone was waiting outside the door, she opened it wide and announced, "Introducing - the bride."

Fiyero was fidgeting in his overly starched clothes (brought over from the Emerald City by Marmon) but stopped the moment Elphaba came out. Galinda had brushed her raven black hair until it shined, and had curled the ends. She then pulled the hair back and secured it with a ribbon with flowers made of fabric. She had light makeup on which accentuates her brown eyes and cheekbones and Galinda was wise to apply only gloss on her slightly greyish lips, highlighting Elphaba's unconventional beautiful features. Fiyero's eyes moved down and he grinned when he noticed that the fairy godmother was unable to find a pair of heels at the last minute – Elphaba was wearing her usual boots.

He walked up to her and kissed her on her cheek.

"You're beautiful. And good choice of shoes," he whispered into her ear as he passed her the flowers.

They went to the back garden, and the priest motioned for them to take off their shoes, mumbling something about being in touch with the earth. That done, Fiyero and Elphaba stood on a yellow mat of some sort ("What happened to being in touch with the earth?" Elphaba asked Fiyero sarcastically).

The priest started the blessing by speaking in an old Vinkun tongue that was long forgotten. He sought the blessings of the heaven and earth. He then called upon the whole string of gods that the Vinkuns worshipped and asked for their blessings (lots of pointing and mumbling and Galinda tried to stifle her yawns). After that, the priest took a long rope, made by twisting two ropes, one red and one yellow, with tassels at the end. Fiyero stretched out his hand with his palms facing up and Elphaba did the same. The priest wound the rope around their palms and he tied it into a knot when the rope was about to run out and placed the knot onto Fiyero's hands. Elphaba rolled her eyes, pretty sure that the custom had some underlying chauvinistic meaning, but kept her opinion to herself, at least temporarily.

The priest ended the ceremony by giving the couple a small cup of blessed drink.

Wine? Fiyero mouthed to Marmon, remembering the last time when Elphaba had the champagne.

Marmon pointed to Elphaba and mouthed the word tea. Fiyero smiled a thank you.

His job done, the priest had a satisfied look on his face. Now he could boost to anyone who would listen that he had performed the marital blessing for the Crown Prince of the Arjiki tribe. He just need not mention that it was a very concise ceremony.

Next, of course, was the signing of the papers in accordance to Ozian law. Galinda had wanted to be a witness, but she was not of legal age, and so Drue and Marmon offered instead.

The wedding officer informed the couple of the legal binding that would be imposed on them once they signed on the paper, and then asked them to sign on the paper if they still wished to proceed. Fiyero signed first, and then held his breath until Elphaba completed her signature. This was followed by the signing of the two witnesses. The officer then officially pronounced them man and wife. Fiyero had a grin on his face, while Galinda squealed and hugged both of them.

"Princess Elphaba!" she curtseyed after that, and then Elphaba had a shock look on her face.

After the ceremony, Fiyero's parents left with Marmon, the priest and the officer. Before they left, the King and Queen promised that they would drop by Shiz a few days later to coincide their visit with Frex's.

"You can wipe that smirk off your face now," Elphaba told Fiyero.

"I can't. I think I will look so happy for the rest of my life," he told her. Elphaba rolled her eyes.

Galinda, Elphaba and Fiyero packed their bags and bade Drue and Deliadora farewell. They had imposed on them long enough (though Deliadora disagreed) and it was time to leave. Deliadora reminded Elphaba to take care of herself and to come back soon for a followup.

The three friends boarded a carriage (with Malky) back to Shiz.

Galinda insisted on sitting next to Elphaba, and so Fiyero sat facing them with Malky next to him. Just a few days ago, he was on a similar carriage, with Elphaba unconscious in his arms, and now she was alive, well and married to him. He shook his head at how life turned out.

"Why are you shaking your head, Fiyero? Are you eavesdropping on us?" Galinda asked him.

He crossed his arms before answering, "I am just thinking, Galinda. Just thinking."

"Well, Fiyero, then I would have to say that this marriage is doing you a whole load of good since it is making you think!" Galinda teased him. She then ignored him and turned back to Elphaba and continued their conversation in hushed tones, punctuating it with her trademark giggles.

The carriage soon reached Shiz.

"Ready to meet the world, Mrs Tiggular?" Fiyero asked Elphaba as he gave her a hand to get off the carriage.

The three of them made their way back to the girl's dorm, with Galinda on Elphaba's right and Fiyero on her left, holding her hand, his other hand carrying all their bags. It was dismissal time and there were many students along the corridors.

"There's Nessa!" Galinda said, pointing to the wheelchair bound girl who had just exited her classroom. Nessarose was alone, her books on her lap.

"Nessa!" Elphaba called out, happy to see her sister after so many days.

Nessarose turned and saw Elphaba.

"Fabala!" She quickly turned her wheelchair to their direction and the three of them walked over to her.

"Fabala, where have you been? Galinda – ," Nessa spared Galinda a glance. "Galinda said that you were very sick but she refused to tell me where you were. What happened?"

"Yes, I was not feeling well and was staying in town with a doctor, but I am fine now."

"I nearly lost your sister, Nessa," Fiyero added, "and I realised that I cannot live without her and _so - _ we got married!" He stretched out his right hand with Elphaba's hand on top so that her two rings could be seen clearly.

He spoke the last part of his sentence a tad louder than his normal conversational tone and a few groups of students who were near them turned around and stared at them, surprise on their faces at the news.

"Do you have to do that?" Elphaba whispered to him, her face flushing.

"Why? Are you embarrassed to be married to me?" He teased her.

"This moment? _Very_," she whispered back.

"Is it true, Fabala?" Nessa stared at the two rings that were on Elphaba's ring finger, and then looked at her sister's face.

"It's true, Nessa. You see, matching rings," Fiyero said, as he showed her the wedding ring that he was wearing.

"Does Father know?" Nessa asked her sister.

Elphaba shook her head. "It's a last minute decision."

"You got married without seeking Father's approval?" her sister's voice was harsh, disapproving.

"Nessa, I did write a letter to him," she tried to explain.

Nessa kept quiet for a while, and then she said, "I got to go for my class." And she wheeled herself away without another word.

**A/N would you review if I didn't say the 2 magical words? :P**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**A/N Thank you James Birdsong, JCBoLt, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness and Susana for the reviews! =)**

**JCBoLt, I smiled when I read your review. Yes, proper English, and you gave me your name too! Author-friend sounded a wee bit old, but then I am not that young either (I won't be surprised if I am the oldest Wicked author this year, can they have a Greg award for that? :P)**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness (my fingers get tired just by typing your penname LOL). Haha, Bleeping comments are allowed since this is a T rated fic :P Nessa is just being herself, a filial daughter.**

**Susana, thank you for your first review to my fic! This chapter would reveal the reaction of others.**

**This chapter will be called Assumptions if I am still giving my chapters titles (gave up long ago). **

**Speaking of ratings, I know that there is recommendation stated on the age group suitable for the different ratings. But I suppose it differs for different cultures, generation and societies. (one of my recent memories had me turning red while watching Twilight on TV, when my 10 year old niece was totally glued to the screen and reading out the mushy subtitles!). I noticed that some authors would rate their fic T, then gave a chapter a M-rating, while others would simply rate it M at the beginning. I had to chop off a particular scene in one of the earlier chapters, and there is another one coming up, so am wondering if I should chop it again. Any advice?**

**Managed to finish Audrey Niffenegger's The Time Traveler's Wife. Bittersweet ending but worth reading. I had also finished Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. Go read this if you are a fantasy fan (which I think most of you are since you love Wicked)!**

Nessarose Thropp was not in class. Oh, she was physically in class. She was looking at the professor as he talked about one of the old treaties between Munchkinland and Gillikin, but her brain was elsewhere.

Somewhere between 'Fabala had gotten married' and 'Fabala married Fiyero Tiggular, the playboy prince'.

Nessa did not understand.

She, like everyone else, was surprised when Fiyero started to show his affections for Elphaba. She was not surprised when Elphaba thawed though. Afterall, who could resist the charming, handsome prince (Nessa thought that she was most probably the only girl in Shiz who did not have a crush on him)?

But she never understood why.

Why would Fiyero, who could have any girl that he wanted, go for her sister. And how could Elphaba, who could not even get most of her classmates to talk to her, made Fiyero fell for her simply by being herself.

Elphaba always proclaimed herself a cynic. But if anything, Nessa thought that it was her, the younger Thropp, the one who sat in her wheelchair and watched other people's lives played in front of her as if in a play, who was the real McCoy.

How could the scandalicious prince love her green, sarcastic sister when there were other more attractive girls around? How could he love her so much that he wanted to marry her when there was no urgent reason to? Unless there was something that only came with a marriage.

Such as –

Nessa suddenly wished that the class would be over soon. She had to look for Fabala, and fast.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Elphie?" A voice broke into Elphaba's thoughts.

She looked up at her blonde roommate. They had gone back to their room after Nessarose had left, and Elphaba was lost in thought, dismayed at her sister's reaction to the news.

"Yes Lin?"

"I suppose - I suppose you will move in with Fiyero now that you are married to him? To his room?"

Elphaba had not considered that. But Fiyero obviously had.

"Galinda, she will have to share the same room as me. I can't imagine what everyone will think once she started showing when she did not spend a single night with me," Fiyero told her.

Galinda laughed. "Fiyero! That didn't stop you from getting her pregnant in the first place." And Fiyero turned red. "But I get it. People will talk if you are married but not staying together. But it will be so strange to have a new roommate after so long."

Elphaba comforted her friend. "Maybe Madame Morrible will not be able find you a new roommate and then I can come over for a sleepover whenever I want."

"I will miss you, Elphie," Galinda said as she hugged Elphaba. Elphaba's arms wrapped around the blonde, feeling sad that they would not be roommates again. Now that she was going to move out, Elphaba realised that she would miss all the chit chat sessions that they had when the lights were off, the times where she had to endure the blonde's makeover sessions, the times when she had to wait for the blonde as she changed from one dress to another before they could leave for class or dinner, the endless (and sometimes mindless) squeals that threatened to shatter the windows, and just being part of Galinda's daily life. The two girls stayed in that position for some time, each unwilling to release the other. Fiyero looked on, feeling guilty for separating them, yet wanting that to happen so that he could have more of Elphaba.

"Well," Galinda said with a brave smile when she let go of Elphaba. "I suppose the only thing that I can do is to help you with your packing."

While Elphaba did not have much clothes, she had many books. The two girls looked at the rows of books, wondering which books should be among the first to be moved to Fiyero's room. Fiyero decided to excuse himself after watching for a while.

"Ladies, I think that I will go back to my room for a good bath and to clear up the stuff. Let me know what needs to be moved and I will provide the _man_power," he told them with a wink, causing Galinda to giggle again. To Elphaba, "I'll come back later and we will go and look for Madame Morrible."

She nodded.

Fiyero had been gone for a while when the girls heard someone knocking on the door. Galinda opened it to find Nessarose outside. She wheeled herself in and stopped in front of Elphaba, and it was some time before she spoke.

"Fabala, I'm sorry the way I sounded just now," Nessarose apologised. "But why did you jump into marriage without thinking? And shouldn't you get Father's approval before you do such a drastic thing?"

Elphaba looked at her sister.

"You're right, Nessa. I should have sought Father's approval before going through the wedding. But his parents were there and when they suggested that we should get married the next day, I just, it's overwhelming. But aren't you happy for me? I married somebody that I love."

Nessarose looked at her sister, and Elphaba could see the slight worry in her eyes.

"But – does Fiyero love you?"

"Of course he does! What makes you think he doesn't?" Elphaba was caught surprised by Nessa's statement, and for a moment, she wondered if Nessa knew something that she did not, but that thought went away just as quick. No, she trusted him.

"It's just that, you know, Fiyero is really known as a charmer and playboy. He is well known for dating only the prettiest girls. I know that the two of you had been together for months, but sometimes I wonder why he is with you."

"I wondered about that too," Elphaba smiled genially at her sister.

Nessa decided to ask her question. "Is the marriage real? Not a ploy that he came up with to, you know, to get what he want? Was this something that he came up with so that you would - ," she trailed off, unable to articulate further.

Elphaba nearly laughed out loud. Fiyero had gotten whatever Nessarose thought he wanted, but she was not going to tell her pious and conservative sister.

"I know what you are thinking, Nessa but the marriage is real. There was a marriage officer from the Emerald City and a Vinkun priest. His parents were around too. I don't think anyone will go through such hassle just to get me into bed. I have the marriage certificate with me if you want to see it."

Elphaba turned to her bag, but Nessa put a hand on hers.

She could see that Nessarose was sorely tempted, but the younger Thropp shook her head.

"Nessa, the priest sought the blessings from the Unnamed God," Elphaba told her sister. She did not tell her that the blessing was sought from a number of other gods and Kumbrica too.

"There will be no change, Nessa. I am still our father's daughter and your sister, and I will still be studying in Shiz," she reassured her sister. "The marriage is," she paused for a while, wanting to choose the most appropriate words to use. "It's his way of showing his commitment to me. He was with me all the time when I was ill, taking care of me and fussing over me. I don't think any of that could be fake."

"I really hope that he is true to you, Fabala." Nessarose said after a while.

Elphaba patted her sister's hands. "He is, Nessa. I am very sure about it."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Who could that be?" Galinda talked to herself as she went to the door. She opened the door and found Boq outside.

"Boq! What a pleasant surprise!" she said. Boq hardly came to their room.

Boq tried to look in. "I heard that Elphaba is back. Is she in?"

Galinda giggled. "Elphie, it seems that everybody wants to talk to you today. Come in, Boq."

The Munchkin came in, abit unsure of what to do.

"Elphaba, well, I heard from some people that they saw you today and that you are -," he trailed off, not knowing what to say next.

"Married?" Elphaba offered the answer.

Boq turned red, embarrassed for no reason.

"It's true then?" he stammered.

"More real than the rock on her finger, Boq," Galinda chipped in as she lifted Elphaba's left hand to show the rings on her finger.

"Sweet Oz." Was all Boq could say.

Back in his room, Fiyero unpacked his bag, clear up the mess, took a bath, and then went back to Elphaba's room.

"Nessa came, and then Boq too. Then Crope and Tibbett. Pfannee, ShenShen and Milla came over and wanted to gossip, but they did not dare to come in when they saw that Elphaba was here. You turned her into a celebrity overnight, Fiyero," Galinda told him the moment she opened the door.

"From Frog to Princess. What can I say?" Elphaba commented.

"You are not a Frog," he chided her. "You have always been a princess. My princess."

Galinda giggled and Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"Are you ready to meet Horrible Morrible now?" he asked.

His princess nodded.

They found Madame Morrible at her office.

"Just the person that I was looking for," she said when she saw Elphaba. "Have a seat, Miss Thropp," She said, blatantly ignoring Fiyero.

Fiyero helped himself to the chair next to Elphaba. He sat back and rested his legs on the table. Elphaba glared at him but he pretended not to notice it.

Madame Morrible looked at him, as if it was the first time she noticed him in the room.

"Mr Tiggular, would you be so kind as to leave the room while Miss Thropp and I discuss her personal matters?" It was apparent from her tone that it was not a request.

Fiyero sat up and leaned forward. "Madame, Elphaba's matters are now my matters. She is officially married to me as of this afternoon." He unrolled and put the marriage certificate on her table.

He saw Madame Morrible's eyeballs bulging out like a fish. It seemed that she was not privy to the news that half the Shiz population had known.

"Miss Thropp, is this why you didn't go to the Emerald City?" she asked Elphaba. "One day, you were asking me to bring forward the trip, and the next day you disappeared and got married? Is that how you repay my kindness in planning all this? This is how you want your life? Get married and give up your chance to be Grand Vizier to the Wizard?"

Elphaba kept quiet. She knew that she had given up a chance to meet the Wizard and to tell him all about the sufferings of the Animals due to the Banns, but she was unable to explain the whole situation without telling Madame Morrible the truth, and she did not want the head mistress to know about the pregnancy.

Madame Morrible misinterpreted her silence as guilt.

"Well, my child. I supposed you should be given another chance since you are my prized pupil. Get ready to go to Emerald City, and you will still be on time for your original appointment. I will take it that your fickle mindedness did not happen. This will be your last chance. Other people are not as lucky as you as to get a second chance."

Elphaba looked up.

"Madame, I really appreciate all that you have done for me, but I will not be going to Emerald City to see the Wizard in the near future. I have just gotten married and my priorities have changed."

Madame Morrible's face turned red in anger, but she kept her voice in check.

"Very well then, my child. But do let me know when you change your mind. As I had said so many times before, it is very rare that the Wizard decided to receive visitors and a vacancy for the position for the Grand Vizier is a once in a lifetime chance. You are dismissed."

"Madame Morrible?" Fiyero called the head mistress. She turned to him.

"Since Elphaba and I are married, I would like to request for her to move into my room." He said matter-of-factly. "Either that, or that we will be issued one of the rooms reserved for visiting professors."

"I'll think about it." Madame Morrible told them and turned her back to the couple, effectively dismissing them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Frexspar Thropp, father of Elphaba and Nessarose, arrived in Shiz on the first week of the school holidays. Like all visiting parents, he was escorted to the visitors' area where he was told to wait for his daughter.

He thought that he would be the only parent there, but there were a few other parents in the room, catching up with their children before they went to the dorms to collect their luggage for the trip home. Frexspar sat on one of the empty seats facing the door as he waited.

He had waited for a while when he saw a tall young man walked into the room. His arrival turned a few heads, both young and old. He, too, was drawn to the newcomer attractive featues. It helped that he carried himself with confidence, something that Frex did not see often in kids of his age. Frex heard one of the mothers asked her daughter 'who is that boy?', and the daughter eagerly whispered the answer into her mother's ear, while her gaze followed the man before she let out an audible sigh.

To Frex's surprise, he turned to his direction and came over.

"Good afternoon sir, I am Fiyero. We've finally met," he greeted the older man with his hand stretched out.

Frex shook his hand, his face betraying the thought that he had no idea who he was, although he thought that the name sounded familiar.

Fiyero noticed the blank expression and chuckled.

"You are the father of Elphaba and Nessarose, aren't you? I am a close friend of your daughter, both your daughters," he explained.

"You must be tired after the long journey from Munchkinland. We had made a lunch reservation at one the restaurants here, so allow me to lead the way." Fiyero had been trying to gain Nessa's trust for the past week after he heard that she had doubts over his marriage to her sister (from Galinda of course), and had made a reservation for the private room at Grommie's the moment she mentioned that her father loved the food at there.

Frex explained that he had come from Quadling, where he had been for the past few weeks.

Fiyero offered to carry Frex's bag and led the way out of the visitors' room.

"Are you classmates with my daughters?" Frex probed.

"I had a few subjects with Elphaba, Sir. And with Boq too."

Frex suddenly remembered where he had heard his name.

"I remember you now. You are from Vinkus. My daughter had mentioned you in her letters."

Frex thought that the young man looked pleased.

"So what does she say about me?" he asked, curiosity getting better of him.

"Oh, nothing much. Just that you joined her for lunch everyday."

Fiyero laughed. "Yes, lunch and dinner. She is great company, Sir, if I may say. A real curious mind and she is a good teacher – she opened my mind to so many things. You must be very proud of her."

"She is amazing," the prince added softly.

Frexspar smiled knowingly.

The two continued to walk in silence for a while, before Fiyero broke the silence.

"Actually, Sir, my parents are in Shiz too, and they are joining us for lunch. They would like to meet you."

So it had come to this.

The first person that Frex laid his eyes on upon entering the private room was his younger daughter, who was seated nearest to the door. He gave her a long, tight hug, happy to meet his favourite child again after so many months. It was only when he released his younger daughter that he noticed that his elder daughter was also there, seated next to an older woman whom he assumed to be Fiyeros' mother. Elphaba came over, and he gave her a brief hug, commenting that he was surprised to see her there. He had expected her to be in Emerald City. And then he turned to Fiyero's parents.

Fiyero took a deep breath before he introduced his parents as 'King Marillot and Queen Baxiana of Arjiki', hoping that it would not sound too pompous. To Frex's credit, he did not gawk or grovel. He actually looked unimpressed, and Fiyero smiled to himself, remembering how equally unimpressed Elphaba was to his royal title when they first met. She had more in common with her father than she thought.

Frex then turned to his younger daughter.

"Nessa, why didn't you tell me that you are dating?"

It was two seconds before he saw Nessarose blushed.

"Daddy!"

And then Frex heard a slight cough behind Nessa. He looked up to see that Fiyero had moved next to Elphaba. It was a strange contrast, the fair skinned, blonde prince in his white shirt, red vest and white pants, standing next to his green skinned, raven haired daughter in her dark dress (whose mouth had dropped slightly then). And then he saw the prince reached for his elder daughter's hand and locked their fingers with a familiarity that said that he had done this thousands of times before. And he had turned red too.

"Sir, I am so sorry that I did not clarify earlier. I'm not dating Nessa. I am in love with your eldest daughter Elphaba. And we got married last week. We wrote to you about this, but I supposed that you did not receive the letter since you are not in Munchkinland."

For the first time in his life, Frex wished that there was somewhere for him to hide.

Thankfully, the rest of the lunch was uneventful. The food was delicious, and after the food was cleared, Fiyero took out the marriage certificate and passed it to Frex (passing by Nessarose's view as instructed by Elphaba so that her sister could see the certificate too) and requested that he brought it back to Munchkinland for safekeeping. He gave the same story about nearly losing Elphaba, and asked for Frex's blessings.

"I know that it was rude of us to get married without your approval, but at that time, the only thing that I wanted her to know is that I love her and I want to marry her, no matter how sick she was."

"You are her father, Sir, and your blessings really mean a lot to us," Fiyero told him sincerely.

The King and Queen agreed that the marriage was hasty, but assured Frex that Fiyero was serious about Elphaba. While Frex was not really pleased with the fact that they got married without his approval, he had no valid excuse to deny them his blessings.

The Queen then explained that they would be sending reading materials to Elphaba to read up on the royal family and the Arjiki customs since she was now a Vinkun princess. In addition, a trusted aide will be coming to Shiz to instruct her on other matters, and so it would be inconvenient for her to leave Shiz to travel back to Munchkinland or Vinkus. Frex could find no fault with that, and left the same day with Boq and Nessarose back to their home in Munchkinland.

Fiyero pulled Elphaba to him the moment they went back to her room.

"That was embarrassing," he admitted. "Nessa had mentioned me in her letters to your father, but not you?"

Elphaba cocked her head to one side.

"What am I supposed to say? That there was this handsome prince who was distracting me from my studies?"

"Well, I did write to my parents and tell them that there was this beautiful green girl who was distracting me from my studies!" Fiyero gestured in exasperation.

Elphaba laughed, her relief evident now that Frex was not going to object to their marriage.

"Alright, I will do that in my next letter," she promised. "And for the record, everything distracts you from your studies."

**A/N**

**As my teacher used to say, when you assume, you make an ass (out of ) u (and) me. Although it was not surprising that Fiyero assumed that they were talking about Elphaba when he had the conversation with Frex. And that Frex, like almost everyone else, would assume that the tragically beautiful Nessa was the one that Fiyero was dating.**

**Please review! =)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**AN **

**Thank you ExoticPeachBlossom, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, Silvine Fae Graycin and LittleMissDelirious for the reviews.**

**ExoticPeachBlossom & ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness – Nessa can't help being the cynic and pessimist. Her disability means that she is always an audience, never a participant, and that makes her doubt the truth even if it comes her way (remember in the musical when she asks Boq if he asks her out because she is 'in this (wheel)chair'?).**

**Silvine Fae Graycin – yes, book Frex was the one I had in mind. I knew which part you were referring to, the bird which Elphaba put into her mouth. That's how I remember him too. Though she is not her favourite child, but, in the book, he does care for her and did send her to Shiz to study (Nessa only came over when Galinda's Ama passed away). **

**LittleMissDelirious, so you got a new laptop! =) BCP = business contingency (something) but that event I was referring to was a fire drill (shut down your laptops, locked your valuables, do not take the lift, blah blah blah). I'm cool with needles – I can watch the nurse draw tube after tube of blood without batting an eyelid. Don't worry about not understanding fluff – I don't get them (pun) much either. Jude Law is fine, until I watched him in The Holiday (with Cameron Diaz) and now all I can remember of him is his receding hairline :P Only X years of teenage mood swings? Either your parents are lucky or you are young (my parents aren't lucky :P)**

**And thank you for the new alert and favourite =)**

**Now imagine this. **

**A woman with dark curly hair stood in front of the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth, humming a tune that she had heard in her earphones when she was doing her work earlier on. Next to her, a six year old with raven black straight hair was preparing to over-coat her miniature toothbrush with kiddy pink toothpaste when her ears picked up the tune. She knew the song, and started to sing the chorus in a loud, childish voice (it did not help that the apartment was so badly designed that all the neighbours got an earful whenever someone sang in the bathroom) before she was hushed.**

"**AS LONG ARE YOU'RE MINE! I WAKE UP MY BOD – "**

**It was 11pm at night. The neighbours were of course not amused.**

**This chapter ended with a high T. My excuse? Recently read a fic in which Elphie suffered in the hands of some men (*ahem*). I think she deserves some happiness, and Fiyeraba IS happiness.**

"So how did you fare?" Fiyero asked Elphaba the moment he walked into their room. What was formerly the bachelor pad of the scandalicious prince was now their shared room ("complete with wet hanging woman's underwear!" he declared cheekily once before he was glared into silence by Elphaba).

Madame Morrible had tried to persuade them to keep separate rooms, claiming that all the rooms for visiting professors were occupied. When that did not work, she cited the inconveniences if Elphaba were to move into a dorm occupied by testosterone-laden boys (though Elphaba suspected that most of them would give her a wide berth), and how lonely Galinda would be without her green roommate. Fiyero put on his dancing-through-life persona, acted brainless and got his way. He ordered a king size bed to be delivered to Shiz and Elphaba moved into his room in the boy's dorm after Galinda had gone back to the Upper Uplands for her holidays. Malky continued to stay with them.

Marriage life was, to Fiyero, blissful so far. He fell asleep with Elphaba next to him every night. It was a king size bed, but Fiyero liked to snuggled close to her, which drove her crazy. Elphaba would wake up early every morning to read, or for a walk outside, after which she would wake up the sleepyhead that was her husband. She managed to do that most of the time, but sometimes, if she was tired, she would crawl back into bed and sleep until Fiyero woke her up. Now those were his favourite mornings.

Fiyero bought a book on baby poems for Elphaba, and she bought a parenting book for both of them. She saw him with the parenting book twice. The first time the book was on his chest while he slept. The second time he was snoring on the bed, his hand draped over the side of the bed, still holding onto the book.

"I cannot learn from books. I am a hands-on person," he protested, and showed her what he meant by hands-on.

It was the holidays and most of the students had gone home. Sometimes, Elphaba would go to the library which was still open. Fiyero tried to keep her company, but the worse thing about going into a library during the school term was going during the holidays – the silence drove him crazy. On other days, they would roam around the campus, hand in hand, and not encountered a single soul. It was almost as if they had the whole place to themselves.

There was once, though, that they bumped into Mo, who congratulated them on their marriage, and then gave Elphaba a strange look that Fiyero caught.

Madame Morrible approached Elphaba a few times and reminded her of the great opportunity that she had missed by not going to see the Wizard.

"No one had ever said no to the Wizard, my child," she said to the green girl ominously.

True to her word, the Queen sent over loads of materials for Elphaba to read up on Vinkun – its geography, history, traditions, and politics. There were also write-ups on the various Vinkun tribes, and the languages used in Vinkus. Marmon came over and tested her towards the end of the holidays.

"She passed, Your Highness," Marmon told him.

"With flying colours," Elphaba added, a smirk on her face.

"Your parents will not be so worried if you have brains like hers." Marmon said, a smile on his face.

"Marmon!" Fiyero pretended to be offended.

His old friend laughed as he packed up his things.

"Aren't you staying for dinner?" Fiyero asked.

"And have school food? My days for school cafeteria food were long over. I will go back to Emerald City tonight and then leave for Vinkus tomorrow morning." Marmon said. "Goodbye Malky."

The Cat meowed and rubbed himself against Marmon's leg as farewell.

Elphaba showed Fiyero a letter that Marmon had brought over when the door was closed.

"It's a letter from Doctor Dillamond," she told him. The two read the letter together. Doctor Dillamond congratulated them on the marriage, and then proceeded to tell her about his progress in Vinkus. The idea for a university was on hold as they realised that there was not enough demand for tertiary education. They were now thinking of a school for children of different ages, from five to sixteen, with dormitory facilities for those whose parents had to travel.

"He said that he will need teachers once the school starts. It sounds like something that I can help with if I am there," she told Fiyero.

"Planning for your new life there?" Fiyero kissed her on her cheek, his arm around her waist, "you won't have time for that, not with the royal duties that you have to perform and mothering our children."

"Children?" Elphaba raised her eyebrows.

At dinnertime, Fiyero and Elphaba prepared some milk for Malky and then went in search for Galinda, who had informed her via mail that she would be back that day. Nessarose and Boq would be back a few days later, just before the term started.

"Elphie!" Galinda squealed in delight the moment she opened the door and saw her best friend outside. The blonde gave Elphaba a hug, and then remembered that she should not have squeezed her so hard.

"Am I hurting the baby?" She asked, her eyes darting everywhere to make sure that there was no one within earshot.

"No," Elphaba told her, as she subsconsciously placed her hand on her abdomen. Her tummy was beginning to show, but it was not noticeable as her dresses were usually loose.

"Do I look good?" Galinda asked her, her palm bouncing her newly curled hair. "I got it done yesterday."

"You look perfect," Elphaba informed her.

"Come on. Let's go for dinner. I am hungry," Galinda said as she linked her arm through Elphaba's.

They made their way to the cafeteria, as Galinda updated both her friends on how she had spent her holiday. It was totally packed with shopping, meeting up with her old friends and extended family, pampering sessions, and a trip with her parents to Lake Chorge, and, of course, more shopping. She described every single dress, shoe and accessories that she had bought until Fiyero had to interrupt her and ask if she had repeated that pastel yellow dress with sequins at the hem, upon which Galinda turned to him angrily and told him that he was so stupid to think that it was the same dress that she was talking about when it was clearly two different dresses, because of the shades of sequins on the two dresses were different.

It was one week before the new term, but there were quite a number of students in the cafeteria who had come back earlier to escape from the stifling love of their parents (or their parents could not wait to get rid of them fast enough). The trio found an empty able near to the corner and was about to sit down when they heard a voice from behind.

"Fiyero Tiggular?"

Fiyero turned around and saw a tall, lanky boy with copperish-brown wavy hair approaching him.

"Pip Regis?" Fiyero sounded surprise.

"The one and only." The boy called Pip grinned.

"What are you doing here?" Fiyero asked after they had given each other a brotherly hug.

Pip shrugged. "I got bored with Gillikin, and so I signed up for an exchange programme. I knew you came to Shiz, but I thought you would have left by now," he teased him good naturedly.

Fiyero laughed, and quickly introduced the newcomer to the ladies. "This is Pip. We were friends in Gillikin University before I got expelled."

"Well, so I guess the rumours about Shiz is true." Pip said.

"What rumours?"

"That it is full of pretty ladies. " Pip smiled, a smile that light up his face. "You have not introduced me to your enchanting lady friends, Fiyero." He turned to Galinda, his hand outstretched for hers. "My name is Pip and I am very glad to meet you."

"I'm Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands," Galinda gave him her hand, and he planted a kiss on it.

"I dare say that I have just been introduced to the prettiest lady in Shiz," Pip complimented, which made Galinda giggled. He then turned to Elphaba. "And you?"

"Elphaba Thropp," Elphaba told him, stretching her hand out for a handshake. Pip noticed that, and shook her hand, offering no kisses.

"Pleased to meet you," he said, still smiling.

"Elphaba Tiggular," Fiyero corrected, as he instinctly wrapped his arm around her waist.

It took a tick tock for realisation to dawn on Pip's face.

"You must be one exceptional lady for him to settle down," he told Elphaba.

"She is," Fiyero confirmed.

Pip and Fiyero went off to order the food and to catch up while Elphaba and Galinda sat down.

"So now the scandalicious prince is married? You never strike me as the marrying type," Pip asked as they joined the short queue.

Fiyero looked around at the surrounding crowd. "I love her, and we Vinkuns marry young," he said with utmost casualness.

Back at the table, Galinda was eyeing Pip from her seat. "He's cute, isn't he?" Galinda asked Elphaba as she twirled a curl around her finger absentmindedly. "And charming. Oh, why am I asking you. You only have eyes for Fiyero," she teased her ex-roommate.

"Galinda!"

Galinda giggled. "I hope he is not seeing anybody," she said with a wistful look.

Pip told the girls all about himself over dinner. Pip was short for Philip. He was the only son of a Gillikinese merchant and had two elder married sisters. He was born and grew up in Gillikin and attended Gillikin University, majority in Business. Pip and Galinda bonded over their Gillikinese background, and talked about some stuff that Fiyero and Elphaba did not understand. It seemed that Pip was equally attracted to Galinda, and before dinner was over, the two were sitting close together with their fingers almost touching.

They had some Gillikinese pudding for dessert, and Galinda declared that she missed authentic Gillikinese food.

"Really?" Pip asked. "I could cook for you if you are looking for authentic Gillikinese food."

"Really?" Galinda's eyes lit up. "You can cook?"

"Of course. My mom always told me that everyone should learn how to cook. We had servants at home, but once a month, I would cook up a feast for my family. Is there a kitchen that we could use in Shiz?" he asked.

Galinda squealed, as she grabbed Pip's hand and listed out her favourite Gillikinese food. It seemed like a terribly long list for someone who was always concerned about her figure.

"And you think I am good? Look at Pip, just a dinner and Galinda is besotted with him." Fiyero leaned over and whispered into Elphaba's ear as he stretched his arm across the back of her chair. "I am really glad that I came to Shiz before he did."

"Why?" She whispered back, all the while noticing that the couple facing her were in a world of their own.

"Well, because I would be heartbroken if I were to come to Shiz only to find that you were in love with him."

Elphaba rolled her eyes.

They walked Galinda back to the girl's dorm after dinner.

"So – do you like to dance?" Galinda asked.

"Like? I _love_ to dance," Pip replied as he turned to face her and stretched out his hand to her, humming a simple tune. Galinda beamed as she recognised the song, and joined in, humming one octave higher as she took his hand, matching his steps with her own delicate footsteps as he walked backward. He pulled her slightly closer to him, and then lifted his arm and holding her fingers lightly, he gave her a whirl. Galinda laughed infectiously as he spun her a second time followed by a third, her skirt billowed in the gentle evening breeze. Pip then lowered his arm and wrapped his arm around her and drew her to him, their faces inches apart.

Galinda stayed in his arms, her face flushed as she looked into Pip's golden-brown eyes, her hand on his chest, and would have continued to stay there if she had not heard the scatter of applause that broke around her. She looked up to see that a handful of students were nearby and had witnessed the impromptu dance. She moved away from Pip, slightly embarrassed, but she could not stop the smile on her face.

"Can I join you for breakfast tomorrow?" Pip asked when they reached Galinda's room.

"Certainly," the blonde told him. "I can even give you a tour around the campus after that. It's the least I can do to welcome you – and after that dance," she added shyly.

"That will be great." Pip smiled at her as she waved him goodbye with her fingers.

"Goodnight, Pip. " She said.

"Sweet dreams, Galinda," Pip told her, "and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Elphie. Goodnight Fiyero," Galinda added as an afterthought.

Later that night, Elphaba was sitting on the bed when Fiyero came out from the shower, clad in just a pair of loose white trousers and drying his tousled hair with a towel. Malky was nowhere to be found, and Fiyero suspected that he had gone to visit Galinda since she was back. The Cat seemed to have a love-hate relationship with the blonde girl.

He looked at Elphaba. Her textbook for the coming term was on her lap but it was obvious to Fiyero that her mind was miles away.

He sat next to her and started to trace circles on her abdomen.

"What are you thinking?" He asked.

Elphaba gave him a sad smile. "About Galinda and Pip. Did you see that attraction? It's so - it reminded me of the time when you arrived in Shiz."

"What happened when I arrived?" He feigned ignorance.

"All the girls go crazy over your looks, your charms, and the way you wear your pants too tight…."

"Including you?" he scooted closer to her.

Elphaba lifted his chin with a finger as she pretended to look at him with critical eyes.

"Well, I guess you are not that much of an eyesore," she commented dryly.

"So were you crazy about me too?" Fiyero teased.

"You're irritating, conceited, cocky and brainless," she told him, without bite.

Fiyero chuckled, "ah, insufferable and handsome – a lethal combination. I don't mind if that is what attracts you, because I don't think I can attract you with my brains." And that made her laugh, like he knew it would.

"Do you know what did I think about when I was in the shower?"

"What?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero placed his hand on her abdomen.

"Remember that time when I had to rush you to Deliadora's place? I was thinking about that. About why it only happened that night."

Elphaba protested, and he put a finger on her lips.

"Hear me out. I know that you are not the healthiest mommy in this world. But Deliadora had given you a clean bill of health, and we had proven so many times after that that the baby does not mind Mommy and Daddy indulging in a bit of loving. So do you know what my conclusion was?"

Elphaba raised her eyebrows.

"I concluded that the baby must have known that you had wanted to leave me, and so risked his life so that you were unable to do so." Fiyero had been calling the baby 'he' since they had gotten married, and Elphaba let him be.

"You're imaginative," she told him.

"Either that, or it was your inner awareness risking your own life because you actually did not want to leave me. Either way, I love you and the baby." Fiyero bent down and kissed her on her stomach, where he thought the baby would be.

**[AN : high T, young readers please skip the rest of the chapter]**

"I love you," he told her again before he leaned in to kiss her. Fiyero removed the book from her lap, allowing her to straddle him without breaking their kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and deepened the kisses as his hands strayed to the back of her night gown, undoing the button one by one, before he pulled the dress down. Fiyero's gaze moved down as he did so. Her figure was fuller, a natural change in her body to accommodate the new life that was inside her, a silent refute to whoever that might disbelieve her pregnancy. Fiyero traced a line with his finger from her cheek, down to her neck, to her collarbone, and he palmed her bare skin, teasing the new curves that were not there before, feeling her breathing hitched as she responded to his touch.

He slid his hands across her abdomen, to her sides, to her back and pressed her body close to him, his hand flat against her back as his lips moved down to her jaws, to her neck, and below. He sucked on her smooth skin, and made a trail of hot, wet kisses down her body, eliciting a soft groan from Elphaba as she shuddered and pulled him closer, a hand in his hair while the other gripped his back.

Fiyero looked up at her. Her hair was down, casting her face in the shadows, but he could see that there was this sparkle in her eyes and a slight smile on her lips as she looked at him. Elphaba whispered his name as she ran her fingers through his hair and then rested her fingers on the diamond on his chest. He knew that she never believed him, but he thought that she looked so beautiful when she was being loved. That she was so beautiful every single day. He knew that she would never believe it, no matter how many times he told her or how many times he showed her, but that did not mean that he would stop doing it.

"You're beautiful," he told her again.

The book was still on the bed, and he pushed it onto the ground as he laid her down gently. It hit the carpet with a thud and Elphaba turned her head towards the general direction of the sound. But she was distracted again when Fiyero nibbled on her exposed neck, at a spot that he knew would get her undivided attention. She closed her eyes and felt his mouth on hers, kissing her in a way that made her want to melt into him, as he reached for her hand and lifted it above her head, his fingers intertwining with hers, doing a little dance of their own.

The book was forgotten.

**AN : **

**please review! =)**

**And if anyone thinks that it will be smooth sailing for them – think again.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**A/N Thank you JCBoLt, James Birdsong, Fae the Queen, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, Maddy-Fae and LittleMissDelirious for reviewing!**

**JCBoLt, what is a dipwad? You kids are really trying to make me keep up-to-date with terms and technology. I had just set up a tumblr and a twitter so that I can follow other fanfic authors. Argh!**

**Fae the Queen, thank you! I cannot take it (what happened) but I am still reading the other fic (talk about love-hate relationship) :P**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, thank you for liking Pip…. Had to put in an OC bcos I cannot imagine Boq in that role!**

**Maddy-Fae, thank you so much for catching up on my fics! =) I am glad you love Fiyeraba moments =)**

**LittleMissDelirious, I am not a principled person, and Av is for Elphie (though I **_**love**_** it when you pair Avaric and Galinda up because they are so cute together in your fic). Oh yes, I like Kate Winslet too (post-Titanic though).**

Galinda and Pip turned up for lunch the next day an hour late, the blonde's face flushed as Pip regaled her with a hilarious story about his cooking disasters as they walked down the corridor towards the cafeteria.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Elphie, but we were just walking around the campus and we lost track of time," Galinda apologised.

"She's a good tour guide. Now I think I know the Shiz campus as well as any third year student," Pip complimented his blonde guide.

"And now I think I know how to make Gillikinese pudding," Galinda told her ex-roommate. "In theory of course," she added as Elphaba gave her a disbelieving look.

Over lunch, they made plans to go to the town the next afternoon so that Galinda and Fiyero could show Pip the best eating places in town, and of course, Ozster's ballroom.

"It's been some time since I've been there," Fiyero admitted.

Pip gave him a look.

"No more partying? Things really have changed."

"Are you coming too, Elphie? Or Fiyero will be so lonely there!" Galinda tried to persuade Elphaba. "Unless you don't mind him dancing with every other girl at Ozster's."

Fiyero gave his wife a cheshire cat grin.

Elphaba shrugged. "I won't mind."

His face fell.

"I won't dance," she told him as she folded her arms across her chest.

"But you still owe me a wedding dance!" he protested.

"What happened to 'Elphaba does not care for such things'?" Elphaba scoffed.

Gainda locked her fingers and rested her chin on them.

"I think I am going to witness their first quarrel after marriage," she said to no one in particular.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Elphaba received a note from Madame Morrible requesting her to go to her office. Shenshen and Milla had returned to Shiz the night before and Galinda invited them over to her room to look at her new wardrobe. And most probably gushed over Pip and subtly staked her claim on the charismatic new arrival.

That left Fiyero and Pip, and the latter invited him to his room.

Pip's room was similar to the room that Fiyero shared with Elphaba, but consisted of the usual two single beds instead of a king size bed (which was bought by Fiyero when Madame Morrible refused to help).

Pip's roommate, another third year student, was not around and the two friends sat down for a chat.

"So how did you find Shiz?" Fiyero asked.

"Term had not started yet so I cannot comment on the teachers, but the campus is beautiful. It's different from Gillikin U as I am sure you know, but that's why I came over. For a change of environment"

"I can understand that."

"So Fiyero, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is Galinda seeing anybody?" Pip's face turned slightly red.

Fiyero laughed out loud.

"Did you ask her?"

"Oz, no! We've only met each other for a few days. So is she?"

"Are you interested in her?"

"Well, why won't anyone be? She is pretty and sweet and caring. I will be surprised if she is not seeing anybody, but I have not seen anyone whom I can safely say is her boyfriend and she had not mentioned that she has one. So I am just wondering if perhaps she has a boyfriend outside of Shiz or perhaps he was not back from his holidays yet."

Pip sounded sincere, and so Fiyero told him what he thought.

"Well, she is single so far as I know. Perhaps she is just waiting for the right person to come along."

Pip frowned. "She wouldn't be nursing a crush on you, would she?"

It was Fiyero's turn to exclaim. "Oz no! She is Elphaba's best friend. In fact, she did kind of play matchmaker at the beginning."

"Sometimes a girl would play matchmaker if she had a crush on a guy who had a crush on her best friend. Isn't that how some stories go?"

Fiyero laughed. "You are imaginative, Pip. I have to admit, we did go out once or twice, but nothing came out of it. I cannot vouch for the past, but I am sure that she does not have a crush on me right now."

"So what should I do?" Pip asked.

Fiyero raised his eyebrows. "The great lover of Gillikin U asking me for advice?"

"Well, you do know Galinda far longer than I do."

Fiyero thought for a while.

"Maybe you should get to know her a little better before you decide." Pip opened his mouth, and Fiyero raised his hand to stop him. "I am not saying that Galinda is not a good girl, but I was friends with Elphaba for some time before we started dating and I have to say that it was all worth it. I knew her so well by then that I knew that the relationship would work out."

Pip thought for a while. "Come and think of it – if I am to make a guess, I will think that you and Galinda are a couple instead of you and Elphaba. Galinda is more of your type – lively, pretty and popular. The two of you look perfect together. How did you end up with Elphaba? She seems like the quiet and serious type, and I noticed that she does not seem to have that many friends. "

Fiyero smiled to himself.

"You really want to know?"

"The story on why the scandalicious Arjiki prince gave up his freedom to date all the girls in Oz? That goes without saying," Pip told him.

Fiyero chuckled softly. "On my first date with Galinda, she mentioned that her roommate had green skin. I imagined some tall, underweight, ugly girl with scaly green skin and limp hair. And then I saw her the next day."

He remembered it so well. He was wandering around the campus, smiling at every single girl that giggled upon seeing him or smiled at him. It was late afternoon when he found himself lost at a quiet part of the school, next to a canal. He was about to ask the next person who passed by for directions when a girl walked past him without as much as a glance – her face was buried in a book. The colour of her skin gave him a jolt. It was the shade of emerald, and that colour on a girl's skin – it definitely caught his eye. He knew that she must be Galinda's roommate and he turned and his eyes followed her. He saw her made her way to one of the big trees near to the Suicide Canal and sat down, her knees bent, propping up the thick book that she was reading. She reached into her bag and took out an apple and cleaned it against her blouse before she took a few bites and continued to read.

Before long, she was so engrossed in her book that she forgot about the half-eaten apple which had turned brown slightly.

She was wearing her Shiz uniform and trademark boots, and the dark brown bark of the tree and the foliage complemented her perfectly. The sunlight shone through the gaps in between the tree leaves and marked bright almost diamond-like shapes on her skin. He took in her beautiful emerald skin with its sunshine tattoos, her black plaited hair, the few strands that she did not manage to bind flying in the gentle breeze. He noticed her high cheekbones, more pronounced as she was thin, her long slender fingers with the neatly trimmed nails. He saw a ghost of smile when she read a part that she found funny, and she nodded her head once when she read something that she agreed with. She was definitely not the prettiest girl he had ever seen, but something about her took his breath away.

Fiyero had no idea how long he stood there, looking at the green girl while she read page after page.

A few boys walked past just as she was about to turn to the next page.

"Hey Artichoke!" one of them shouted, breaking the tranquillity. Fiyero flinched.

Elphaba did not react to the insult, but Fiyero saw her fingers paused for a while before she completed the turn. He would not have guessed that she had heard it if not for that slight momentary pause.

The green girl continued to sit there, oblivious to the prince who was just a short distance away. But the page did not turn again, and after a while, the green girl closed the book and put both the book and apple into her bag before she stood up, smoothed her skirt, and walked away.

It was only after she had disappeared from his view that the prince realised that his fingers had been curled slightly, aching to touch the emerald skin and to pull the few strands of hair behind her ears.

"Galinda and I went out again, but I just could not forget Elphaba. I wanted to see her again. I wanted to know more about her. And so I joined them when I saw them during lunch one day, and it started from there."

"That's not the Fiyero that I know. The Fiyero that I know only go for pretty and cute girls. I remembered that you said once that you will only date girls who fulfil all your criteria for a girlfriend," Pip shook his head.

Fiyero looked at him. How to describe to his ex-schoolmate that Elphaba was such a multi-dimensional person. That she was smart and talented; beautiful and strong; caring and selfless. That she was strong yet vulnerable; quiet yet vocal; proud yet humble; shy yet bold.

How to tell his friend that he would yearn for that little upturn of her lips when they were just friends. How he loved to hear her voice in a classroom, in a crowd. How he wanted to pull her into his arms whenever someone made a sarcastic remark about her skin colour. How a little frown on her face would make him study harder so that he would do better for the next test. How he wished that he would know every single thought that went through her mind. How he loved the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something that she was passionate about.

And how it did not matter that she was not the typical pretty girl that he used to date. That she was not popular, could not dance and did not party. That it did not bother him that she was not easily swayed by flowers and gifts, and she rolled her eyes frequency at his cheesy remarks. That he felt more alive when he was with her then when he was with any other girl. How, for some time, he doubted that a special girl like her would be interested in a brainless, dancing-through-life, pampered prince like him no matter how popular he was, and that it would be best for him to keep his interest a secret, until that rainy day when he held her in his arms and could not hide his feelings anymore.

So Fiyero simply told his friend this.

"Elphaba is everything that I want, but I only realise it when I met her."

The girl in question was not in a good mood when Fiyero went back to his room.

He was surprised to find her there. He had expected her session with Madame Morrible to last longer, but there she was, walking from one end of the room to the other (which was a short distance actually). She looked furious, mumbling something about the unfairness of it all and etc.

Fiyero had no idea what had happened.

"Elphaba," he called her. She ignored him, totally engrossed in her own tirade.

"I will not be held hostage by this!" she said to herself.

"Hey," he said, trying to stretch out a hand to catch her, but she simply walked past him.

"Elphaba?" He tried again.

"Honey?" She never let him get away with that nickname. Not this time though.

"Sweetheart?" No reaction.

As a last resort, he stepped in front of her and pulled her into his arms.

"Elphaba, what's wrong?" He asked her when she finally realised that he was in the room.

She struggled, trying to get out of his grasp.

"Let go."

"No. Tell me what happened and I will let you go."

"I'm angry."

"I can see that. Come on, stopped pacing. Look at me. What happened?"

She looked at him and willed her breath to slow down.

"It's Morrible," she said after a while.

"What about her?"

Elphaba broke their eye contact and looked down.

"She dropped me from Sorcery class."

"Why?"

"She said that there is no use for me to continue since I am not going to see the Wizard. It is ridiculous. It is a Sorcery class. Visiting the Wizard is not a pre-requisite to any class in Shiz! But she kept yapping about that, saying that she would only let me come back to class if I agree to go to Emerald City to see the Wizard." She started to gesture wildly again. Fiyero grabbed her arms again.

"Calm down, Elphaba. Calm down."

"It's my favourite class. I'm good at it. She even said before that I am the best student she had. So what if I am not going to Emerald City?"

"Did she drop Galinda from the class?" Fiyero asked.

"No."

"Is she going to Emerald City?"

"Not that I know of."

"Don't you see something fishy about this?" Fiyero asked. "She had been at your back about this visit since the holidays. Do you know why?"

"I don't know. The only reason that I could think of is that she was hoping that the Wizard would offered me the job as the Grand Vizier which will bring prestige to Shiz. She said something about benefiting all parties the last time we talked."

"Do you want to be the Wizard's Grand Vizier?" Fiyero asked. He knew the answer.

She looked at him. "No," she replied softly. _Because I have you._

"Then I don't see what the problem is. You know, this might not be such a bad thing after all."

"Why?"

"I have been thinking. Till now no one knows how sorcery will affect a pregnancy. The baby is inside you. What happen if practising sorcery affects him?"

Elphaba thought for a while. "You want me to stop until the baby is born."

"I want you to try to stop. Or at least do minimally. You don't need sorcery to go through life. Can you do this for me? For our baby?"

"It's not fair." She said in a tone that was almost crying. Fiyero did not know if she was referring to Madame Morrible dropping her from the Sorcery class or to Fiyero's request.

"I know it is not fair. But can you do it? "

Elphaba kept quiet for a while.

"For the baby," she said to herself.

"Yes, for our baby." Fiyero confirmed.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair.

"For our baby."

They stayed like this for a while, until Fiyero broke the silence.

"While we are on this topic, can you control your temper too? I don't want the baby to be born grumpy."

"You're pushing your luck, Fiyero," the voice from his chest said.

Fiyero laughed and kissed her on her forehead.

Elphaba was too tired after the outburst and decided to skip the visit to town. Fiyero suggested postponing the trip instead.

"No, you go ahead. I thought you said that you wanted to show him all the partying places in town?" she told him.

"But - ."

"No buts. I will just stay in the room or go to the library. I will be a wet blanket when I am there anyway. You have my permission to dance with any girl at Ozster's. Go and enjoy yourselves, and don't come back early," she teased him gently.

She went to the library and stayed there until the library closed. Thinking that Fiyero would not be back early, she decided to take a longer route on her way back to the dorm.

Her path took her past the administrative building, and she was surprised to see lights from the windows of Madame Morrible's office. She walked towards the head mistress' office, thinking that perhaps she should speak to her again about her wrongful dismissal from the Sorcery class.

When she was at the door, she heard voices from inside – Madame Morrible's voice and that of an unfamiliar male voice. They seemed to be in some kind of argument, and Elphaba heard something like 'very disappointed'. The voices stopped when she knocked on the door.

It was some time before the door opened.

"Miss Thropp," the older woman sounded surprise, and not entirely pleased.

"May I come in?" Elphaba asked. The head mistress thought for a while, before she opened the door and let her came in before she closed the door.

"Well, actually we are having a discussion. About you."

Elphaba looked around, but there was no one else around. She turned to Madame Morrible.

"We?"

Madame Morrible smiled, not a very pleasant looking smile.

"Well, his visit is not announced, mind you. And he is here because of your obstinacy. Yes, I see that you are getting curious now. You want to know who this secret visitor is? You can, but first, I will need to bind you – a binding spell, something that I have not taught you and I will not teach you. You will not repeat what you hear or say in this room from now on. You will not want to and you will not be able to."

Elphaba took a step back, her back almost to the door. Why was there a need for a binding spell?

And then the only other door in the room, which led to Madame Morrible's private office, opened.

A man came out. Someone slightly younger than Madame Morrible. He had the bearing of someone who served the military, and he wore the official Gale Force uniform.

"So this is the girl? No one ever mentions that she is green," he spat out the words, as if it was the most disgusting colour he had ever seen.

"Well, Captain, does that matter?" Madame Morrible's voice indicated that she did not care much about his title.

"Of course not. What's important is that she has the talent. You just put a binding spell on her, didn't you?" He received a nod of acknowledgement.

"Then perhaps I can solve our problem right now," he said. Before anyone could react, he grabbed Elphaba's wrist and twisted it at an angle as he clasped her throat, pushing her against the door. His hand was large, and it closed easily on her small neck as he squeezed. Elphaba struggled and she tried to pull at the hand that was squeezing her throat, but the man's hand refused to let go. He let go slightly and she tried to breathe, but the grasp tightened again as the man gave her a sneer.

"I'm not going to kill you, little green girl," the captain said menacingly. He released his grip slightly again, enjoying himself as he held the green girl's life in his hand. And then tightened his grip even more, blocking off the air so that Elphaba would pass out.

She glanced at Madame Morrible, silently pleading for help.

Madame Morrible looked back at the green girl, her eyes unreadable.

"We won't have to resort to this if you had listened to me, my child," the woman told her monotonously.

Tiny black spots began to form in front of her eyes.

There was only one thing Elphaba could do.

She had no idea what started first, the heat or the cold. But the two feelings flashed through her arm, one after another. There was no spark and so the captain was caught off guard. One moment he was grabbing a green wrist, the next moment, Elphaba's hand burst into flame. The fire burnt from the tips of her fingers to her wrist, hot and bright, the crackling sound loud in the room. The captain let go immediately the moment he felt the pain on his hand, but it was too late for him. The flame burnt his hand and jumped onto the long emerald sleeve of his military uniform. He staggered back, the pain apparent on his face while he tried to put out the fire on the fabric without hurting his burnt hand.

"You witch!" he snarled.

Elphaba pressed against the door as she tried to pull air into her lungs. The man was still swearing, and she heard the other voice said with a mixture of amazement and awe.

"What a display of power."

She opened the door and fled.

She had no idea which direction she went. She only remembered running through the corridors, on the grass, the air cool against her skin but it still made her lungs burned. She stumbled, fell and picked herself up again. She felt tired, nauseated. She felt as if her whole hand was frozen. The fire had not burnt her, because it was her fire, but that did not mean that it did not hurt her in other ways.

Somehow she managed to find her way back to the dorm. She took out her key, dropped it, picked it up and dropped it again before she managed to slot the key into the lock and pushed the door opened. She locked the door behind her and walked a few steps before she collapsed, next to the bed.

She stayed there for a long time, catching her breath as she tried to remember what had happened. She remembered going into Madame Morrible's office, and the head mistress casting a binding spell on her. And she remembered a voice, a male voice. What had the head mistress said? She had a vague memory of somebody twisting her wrist, or did she imagine that? She looked at her wrist. A bruise was beginning to form, almost unseen against her dark skin, but who had grabbed her? Was it a man? Tried as she might, she could not remember the face of that person. She tried again, and this time round, she was not even sure if it was a man. She would not even be sure that someone had grabbed her if not that faint blueish-gray ring around her wrist. She remembered something a flash of brightness, but what was that? She grasped at her memories, but it was as if a breeze had carried them away, leaving only feelings. Feelings of fear. Of a need to run away.

She looked at the door. Fiyero might be back any moment. She wanted him to come back. She wanted him to open the door and walked into the room. She wanted him to look at her with concern in his eyes and to pull her into his arms and to tell her that everything was alright. But she did not want him to come back. She did not want him to see her like this. She did want him to question her only to find holes in her memories. She did not want him to worry about her.

Elphaba rested at the bedside, and felt stronger after a while. She took off her boots and put them next to the door, next to Fiyero's wide range of shoes. She then took off her dress, and changed into her nightgown.

She was undoing her braids when she heard the soft sounds of padded paws landing on the study table.

"You don't look good," Malky told her.

"Never felt better," Elphaba replied, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Am I getting myopic or was that a bruise on your neck?"

Elphaba startled, and quickly comb her braids loose so that it would cover her neck.

"I would recommend that you get your eyes checked, Malky," she said as she climbed onto the bed. "I think I will turn in early," she added as she turned off the light.

In the darkness, the Arjiki princess silently sought and healed the bruises, and then closed her eyes and fell into a sleep filled with endless dreams of sneering unseen faces and flashes of light.

**A/N Please review!**

**For those that had not read the book, Madame Morrible did know how to cast a binding spell, and she casted it on the girls when they were in Shiz.**

**Will try to post the next chapter next weekend. =)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**A/N Thank you JCBoLt, insertnamehere123, Silvine Fae Graycin, BookWorm0001, Fae the Queen, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, ExoticPeachBlossom, vinkunwildflowerqueen for the reviews.**

**JCBoLt, what is a ****NCLSMPANDOF? I googled, but I cannot find anything! You really must tell me!**

**Insertnamehere123, you will only know if Elphaba and baby are safe at the end of the whole story (oH I feel so evil..)… :P**

**Silvine Fae Graycin, I am waiting for your update to the Fiyero-the-storeowner fic (that's what I call that story :P)**

**BookWorm0001, I disagree with you on that point. GM never likes to give anyone even a shred of satisfaction, so I would say that Morrible did pass away before Elphaba arrived.**

**Fae the Queen, that makes the two of us.**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, that is not a cliffy. I will show you what a cliffy is at the end of this chapter *cackles***

**ExoticPeachBlossom, had been quite busy with work and family and so I will continue to try your patience :P Try not to zap me with an umbrella :P**

**Vinkunwildflowerqueen, he thought he could kidnap her because she was alone and under the binding spell . Obviously he was very wrong.**

The new term brought more changes than expected.

Madame Morrible stopped persuading Elphaba to meet the Wizard. In fact, she behaved as if Elphaba was just one of the many Shiz students who were of no significance to her. The sudden cold shoulder disappointed the green girl, and she knew that it had something to do with what happened that evening in her office, though she was unable to remember what had happened. Whenever she tried to recap the missing memories, her stomach would twist into knots and her breathing would become constricted, until she had to let go. Still, the incident left her shaken, and Elphaba could not help but looked behind her on more than one occasion when she had the feeling that she was being watched.

Fiyero never knew what happened. He only knew that Elphaba had given up getting the head mistress to teach her Sorcery, and she had stopped practising.

The arrival of Pip caused a stir not seen since the early days of Fiyero's arrival. While he did not have a title, and was not as scandalicious as the Arjiki prince, the girls of Shiz welcomed the charming Gillikinese like a village welcomed the rain after a long drought (which said much about the existing male population in Shiz). They tried to get his attention and batted their eyelids at him. Friendships broke overnight and catty remarks flew among so-called friends. Pip was nice to everyone, but he took most of his meals with Fiyero and Galinda. He managed to borrow one of the cafeteria's kitchens for a few hours once and cooked for Galinda, which delighted the blonde. The two of them even went to town on their own on a few occasions.

"He had not asked me on a date," Galinda whined one day, several weeks into the new term.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you seeing each other every day?"

"Yes, every day," Galinda bounced on her bed, her own version of stomping her feet when she was not on her feet. "But he has not asked me out on a date. A _real_ date."

"A real date? Are you referring to the reddish fruit that you can eat? _Phoenix dactylifera_?"

"Elphie!" the blonde huffed.

"So what do you mean by a real date?"

"You know, like how Fiyero asked you out last time? Date, time, just the two of us, all dressed up and ready to impress? It seems that he is only interested in being a friend, and there are always so many girls around him," the blonde pouted.

"Alright. You seem to be interested in him," Elphaba tapped her finger on her lips, trying hard to hide her smile.

"He's different, Elphie," Galinda tried to explain with Elphaba.

"Pip is different? How is he different?"

"Pip is not Fiyero."

"That's obvious."

"You know, when Fiyero first came here, and I .. erhmmm. tried to know him better?"

"Oz, Galinda! You don't have to tip toe around the topic. Yes, you dated Fiyero. I remembered that. You were boring me with your endless chatter about him when I was trying to sleep, remember?"

Galinda blushed. "Oh, I thought you had forgotten all about that. After all, you are now married to him."

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Marriage does not give me amnesia. So what is the difference?" She was not really interested in knowing, but she was having too much fun seeing the blonde getting all worked up.

"I don't think you understand. But when I was with Fiyero, people paid more attention to him. And he paid himself more attention. But when I was with Pip, when people looked, they saw me. They did not concentrate on Pip. And Pip pays me more attention. It is not as if he is short and ugly and boring. He is tall, cute and funny. And we have so much in common and so much to talk about, and he is interested in everything I say. It is just different. It's like the way Fiyero pays attention to you."

"Now why are you talking about me?" Elphaba asked.

Galinda narrowed her eyes at her ex-roommate. "You mean you have never noticed it?"

"Notice what?"

"How Fiyero hangs onto everything you say or do?"

"You make him sounds like a Dog, Lin."

"How he always puts you as first priority?"

"Does he? Now who ate my ice cream during dinner?" Elphaba pointed out, referring to her new craving.

"Oh, Elphie. You dense little girl. I don't think you see it at all."

"I agree. I don't see it at all. I don't see what you are getting at."

Galinda thought for a while and then she hopped off her bed.

"You've been a great help, Elphie."

"Have I?"

"Yes. And I have made up my mind." Galinda gave her a determined look.

The next day, Galinda marched up to Pip in between classes when some third year girl was chatting with him (and leaning too close in the petite blonde's opinion). She did not say anything, but simply put her tiny hand into his and pulled him away.

"I might be dense, but at that moment I could hear a few hearts shattering into hundreds of little pieces," Elphaba recounted to Fiyero that night in their room. She paused as she scratched her stomach to relieve the itch from her growing belly. She gave a sigh and moved across the room where the study table was.

"I swear that I will be nothing but a puddle of oil at the end of this pregnancy if I continue to moisturise at this rate," she grumbled to no one in particular as she picked up the dark glass bottle of oils that was now a permanent fixture on the table.

She heard Fiyero's laughter right behind her as his hand reached out and took the bottle from her. He pulled her to his lap.

"So what about Boq," he asked as he poured some oil onto his hand and warmed it up.

"What do you mean, what about Boq?" Elphaba asked him.

"Is he taking it well?" Fiyero asked as he slipped his hands underneath her blouse and applied the oil on her stomach. The warmth from the oil and his touches distracted her from the itch.

Elphaba frowned. "What do you mean? Boq?"

"Did you know that Boq had been nursing a crush on Galinda all this time?"

She looked at him. "You must be kidding."

Fiyero chuckled. "Galinda is right. You are dense. You had no idea how I felt about you, and you have no idea how Boq feels about Galinda."

Another news, of course, was Elphaba's pregnancy. Nessa was surprised. She did not not expect her sister to try for a child when she was still studying. However, she felt better when she saw that Elphaba was taking fewer subjects that term and Fiyero was taking good care of her.

Crope told them one day over lunch that he had overheard some girls discussing if the pregnancy was real, and if the prince was forced to marry her because of the pregnancy.

"Let them say whatever they want. I am sure they are just jealous that you manage to net the _most eligible _bachelor in the whole of Oz," Fiyero told Elphaba, using the opportunity to flatter himself. "There are more things to worry about than what other people say."

That was true. The atmosphere in Oz seemed more tense. The Wizard imposed another round of taxes on the citizens and there were rumours of attacks by the Resistance in the Emerald City.

"There was another one last night," Malky told them when the three of them were in their room one night. "Someone detonated a bomb at one of the barracks. Some of the Gale Forcers were injured. I heard that they managed to arrest the bomber."

"What is their aim?" Elphaba asked.

Fiyero shrugged. "Spread fear? Demoralise the Gale Force? It does not need to be related to the Animal Banns. A lot of people are not happy with the recent tax increase too."

The Gale Force came to Shiz the next day.

Elphaba was pushing Nessarose along the corridor when she saw a troop of emerald clad soldiers ahead. There was a man facing them, the Captain of the Gale Force, if the ranks on his sleeve were any indication. His back was to the girls, but there was something familiar about him, though Elphaba was not able to put a finger on it. His right hand was bare, and he wore a black leather glove on his left. He was talking to the soldiers, and when he was done he turned round and Elphaba finally saw his face.

She felt a chill ran down her spine. She was sure she had met him before, but she did not know when or where.

The corners of the Captain's lips turned when he saw the green girl, and he made a tipping motion with his fingers as if he was wearing an imaginary hat.

Elphaba looked down, and quickly pushed Nessarose's wheelchair, ignoring her yelp when the wheelchair suddenly picked up speed.

"Miss Elphaba," he greeted her when their path crossed.

She pretended not to hear him and continued on her way.

"Is that the Captain of the Gale Force, Fabala? How does he know your name?" Nessa asked when they were out of earshot.

Elphaba looked at her sister. She had no answer to her question.

The Gale Force marched into Madame Morrible's office and had a meeting with her. They then split into different groups and went to different classes. The soldiers came out empty-handed. It was supposed to be an easy job; the Resistance member that they had caught the night before had given them a list of names after being tortured – and the list includes students from Shiz who had previously expressed anti-Wizard sentiments, including Mo, who had previously organised a few anti-Wizard rallies in the campus. But all the students that they were looking for had disappeared. No one had seen them since last night. The frustration on the Captain's face was obvious.

Madame Morrible did not even acknowledge that the search happened. She just mentioned that the soldiers were here on a routine visit. Nobody believed her, but nobody dared to say a thing. There was an unspoken fear in the air, and some of the students began to make plans to leave for home immediately after the exams. No one wanted to spend their Lurlinemas in Shiz.

A few days later, Pip and Galinda were taking a stroll along the Suicide Canal when he asked if she would like to transfer to Gilikin University for the next term.

"It is not as prestigious as Shiz. But it is nearer to your home, and I am sure that will give your parents an extra peace of mind," he told her. The blonde had a simple bouquet of pink roses in her hand, and the smile on her face was brighter than the sun in the sky.

"Is that the only reason?" Galinda asked as she reached for his hand.

"You know that's not the only reason, Lin. I want to see you every day. I cannot imagine going back to Gillikin without you," he said. Galinda blushed at his confession. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her velvety-smooth lips against his.

"I cannot imagine that too," she said and Pip kissed her again.

Fiyero, on the other hand, was making plans for them to go back to Vinkus.

"Our baby needs to be born in Kiamo Ko," he told Elphaba.

"Why?"

"It's a family tradition. I was born there, and so was my father. You are not going to deprive my parents the chance to witness the birth of their first grandson are you?"

"Witness?" Elphaba gave him a look of distaste. "You mean they will be in the same room as me?"

Fiyero laughed. "Sorry, wrong words. They would like to be nearby when their grandson is born."

"Why are you so sure that it will be a boy?" she asked.

"Because I have dreamt of him," he replied smugly.

Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "You did?"

"Yes. He looks like me, but he has your hair. And he is the most beautiful newborn I have ever seen."

"I don't think you have ever seen a newborn in your whole life," she reminded him.

"So we will go back during the holidays. Nessa can follow us if she wants to. I had taken care of everything. The nursery had been done up, the baby clothes had been washed and aired. My parents had found a suitable nanny. So all you have to do is to show up and rest before the baby is due. Deliadora will join us nearer to the date. And then we can decide if we want to skip one term or two, or to come back with the baby." Fiyero tapped his head, mighty proud of himself for having everything planned out.

He had no idea how badly his plan would turn out.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was supposed to be Elphaba's last visit to town before she was due. Fiyero insisted that there would be no more trips after that, and Deliadora would have to come to Shiz to check on her instead.

"You need to rest and reserve all your energy for the examinations and the journey back to Vinkus," he told her. She was seated on the edge of the bed while Fiyero was at the other side of the room, his back against the study table.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I am not an invalid."

"No you are not, but I insist."

"When did you become so bossy?"

"Ever since the priest bound you to me in one of the oldest rituals in the history of Oz," he teased her, referring to the ceremony that Elphaba had suspected (correctly) to be highly chauvinistic in nature.

"Fine, but only because I am not a fan of shopping, and I need to start preparing for my exams. You too, Fiyero."

He made a face at the mention of exams, and then suddenly something caught his eyes.

Fiyero put a finger to his lips.

"What?"

Fiyero gave her a mischievous grin as he tip toed to her and kneeled down. Elphaba was wearing a blouse and pants, and he slowly lifted up her blouse to expose her belly. For a while, he thought that it would be gone by the time he went over, but there it was, a bulge on Elphaba's belly. It was a tiny bulge, but the longish outline was unmistakeable, it was the outline of a tiny baby foot against Elphaba's skin. The tiny foot of his tiny baby.

Fiyero measured the size of the foot with his thumb and index finger and raised his fingers so that Elphaba could see how tiny the foot was. He then kissed the skin where the foot was and the baby shifted away.

"First contact," he looked at the love of his life and whispered, marvel in his voice.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Nessarose insisted on coming along for Elphaba's last visit to town – the wheelchair bound girl knew that it would be difficult to get someone to bring her to town when her sister was not around.

Fiyero managed to lift Nessarose's wheelchair into the carriage in a shorter time with Pip's assistance (Boq was too short to help previously). Then they made sure that the wheelchair was secured properly before the carriage started. Elphaba looked out of the window – the feeling of being watched was there again. She saw another carriage, but it was empty. There were a few students nearby, but they were chatting among themselves and soon moved out of sight. Just then, Galinda grabbed her arm and started to list the items that she wanted to buy on this trip, and Elphaba looked away from the window.

No one noticed the small ticktock creature when it came out from the bushes and hurried away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The first thing they noticed when they reached town was the change in the atmosphere. Business was as usual, but there was nervousness in the air, as if something bad could happen any moment.

Elphaba and Fiyero had gone to Deliadora's place for a checkup barely two weeks ago, and even they noticed the difference. The group knew the reason when they started to see soldiers patrolling the streets. It seemed that there were a few of them in every street.

"Why are there so many soldiers?" Nessarose asked, her fingers stroking the Cat on her lap. Malky did not like them too, and had snarled at one earlier on who had called him a 'cute cat'.

"One of the shop owners told me that there was an arrest made a few days ago," Pip told them. "It was someone from out of town. The Gale Force said that the man was a member of the Resistance."

"Really?" Elphaba scoffed. "And was the man here to purchase bombs?"

Resistance or not, nothing could keep Galinda from shopping. She dragged everyone from shop to shop, squealing in delight at the clothes and trinkets and forcing everyone to try on something, until their moods were lighter.

Two hours later, Nessarose, Pip and Fiyero were tired and decided to take a break at a café that welcomed customers with pets. Elphaba was tired too, but Galinda insisted that she needed the green girl to give her opinions when she tried out more clothes.

The blonde brought Elphaba to a shop selling men's accessories.

"Pip's birthday is coming," she whispered, as if the boys could hear her a few streets away.

"All right, so this is the real purpose of this shopping trip."

"Don't tell anybody. It is a surprise. He had no idea that I know," Galinda told her.

"Then how did you know?"

"I have my ways," she refused to reveal her source.

Galinda pulled Elphaba from aisle to aisle, looking at ties, and hats and cuff links. They were (or rather, Galinda was), browsing through the items when two Gale Forcers came in. They scanned the shop and approached the owner who was behind the counter.

Galinda had shortlisted a pastel pink tie and was looking for matching cuff links when she noticed the soldiers – she did not like being in the same shop as the soldiers. All the talk about the Gale Force and the arrests had made her jittery. The blonde tugged at Elphaba's sleeves, indicating that they should leave.

Elphaba was about to give a sigh of relief when something caught the blonde's eyes - cuff links with initials spelled out with diamantes. And it just happened that there was one pair with the letter P in pink .

"You must be kidding," Elphaba said when she saw the colour.

"He will wear it. Trust me," the blonde said as she made her way to the counter, her mood changed again.

The two Gale Forcers were still at the counter talking to the owner. Galinda waited as they questioned the owner for a long time – she could hear words like 'suspicious', 'Resistance' and 'arrests'. She started to bite her nails. Elphaba, on the other hand, was tapping her foot impatiently, her arms crossed. Patience had never been her virtue, and being pregnant made it worse.

After a really long time, the Gale Forcers gave the owner a final warning about harbouring Resistance members or withholding information and walked away. Galinda went up to the counter and made her payment. She did not even make small talk with the shop owner. All she wanted to do was to leave the place.

Galinda took over her purchase and was about to leave the shop when one of the Gale Forcers stepped in front of them and blocked their way. The timid girl let out a little scream and gripped Elphaba's arm.

"What do you want? We are not from the Resistance!" she babbled.

The soldier smiled, amused as he showed her what he had in his hand.

"I believed you dropped this, Miss," he said, showing her the perfumed handkerchief. Galinda flushed as she snatched her handkerchief from the soldier and then pushed Elphaba out of the shop with a quick "thank you" tossed behind her.

"Sweet Lurline, that was so scary! For a while, I thought he was going to arrest us," she told Elphaba when they walked away.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I don't think they will arrest you for making your boyfriend wear pink, Lin."

The two girls were almost to the café when they noticed that a crowd had gathered in front of the cafe. They pushed through the crowd just in time to see Pip being helped onto a chair by a waiter. There was a towel pressed against his head.

"Pip!" Galinda rushed to him, and she pulled away his hand. The blonde cried out when she saw the fresh red blood on the towel.

"You're bleeding!"

"What happened? Where is Nessa and Fiyero?" Elphaba asked.

Pip looked up at Elphaba. "I'm sorry. I tried to stop them. I really did."

"Stop who?" Elphaba asked. It was only then that she noticed the overturned wheelchair a few tables away.

"The Gale Force. They took them away."

**A/N Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**A/N thank you xxxStefyxxx, BookWorm001, Ozian-in-australia, JCBoLt, ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, Fae the Queen, LittleMissDelirious and BookWorm741 for the reviews!**

**xxxStefyxxx, Ozian-in-Australia, Fae the Queen, mmm…. The official reason on why they were arrested can be found in this chapter. The unofficial (actual) reason is heavily hinted. More hints in the next chapter. =)**

**BookWorm001, you will hate them even more in this chapter. :P I realise that they make very good villians. :P**

**JCBoLt, LOL, low level of resistance! :P LOLLOLLOLLOLLOL (nope, these are not random typing)**

**LittleMissDelirious, there was a cyber attack on the site last weekend and they disabled the email notifications so you could have been affected. Let's see what Elphaba will do in the next few chapters (and this is still not a resistance story) =)**

**BookWorm741, **

**Chapter 17 - welcome back from your 'hiatus' :P and thank you for catching up on the chapters =) 40days. What happen? **

**Chapter 18 – LOL I think making Frex embarrassed is worse than describing him as an abusive dad :P**

**Chapter 19 – yes, I think Pip and Galinda are perfect for each other too!**

**Chapter 20 - I think no one caught it, but remember when Galinda complained that Pip was only interested in being a friend? That was because he took Fiyero's advice (to be Galinda's friend to get to know her instead of pursuing her outright) and we all know that no one should go to the brainless prince for advice! **

**Chapter 21 - thank you for being the 100****th**** reviewer! =)**

**Recently I got a new addiction! Its tumblr! So on certain days when I was supposed to open up my winword to edit this chapter, I would end up opening my browser and editing my Tumblr template or reading tumblr posts instead. So sorry! And I still have not figure out how to change it in android such that the reblogged text and my own text are of different font to differentiate the two though. Technology!**

**And I've bought the tickets for Phantom in August. I am so excited! =)**

Pip recounted the events. The two girls were gone for a while when a troop of soldiers in emerald green Gale Force uniforms came up to them holding a badly mangled cat. It was Malky.

"He had blood all over him and was not moving. I bet those soldiers shot him. They actually said that Malky is a Cat and a member of the Resistance. And they said that we were under arrest for harbouring him. For Oz's sake, how could they say that he is an Animal and against the Wizard? Just because he looks as if he understands what we are saying?"

Elphaba bit her tongue. She was not going to tell him the truth.

Pip continued. "Fiyero protested, of course, and even mentioned that he was a prince. But one of the Gale Force, I think he was the one in charge, he said that he knew who Fiyero was. The soldiers grabbed him and Nessarose. He struggled and then they knocked him out using the butt of a gun, and that was when I knew that they were serious. I tried to pull Nessarose away from them, but some of them grabbed me, and hit me on the back of my head. When I woke up, they were gone, and the waiter told me that the Gale Force took them away."

He looked at Elphaba. "I'm really sorry, Elphaba. I really tried to stop them."

"So where is Malky?"

"I don't know," Pip replied. "The soldiers threw him on the ground but he was no longer there when I regained conscious. Maybe his Resistance friends took him to safety."

"That's not funny, Pip," Galinda said, cross with her boyfriend for the first time.

Elphaba knew that they must have an office, a barrack somewhere in this town and she asked the café owner. The man was not very forthcoming. After all, her friends had just been arrested in his café and he suspected that his business would be affected (if it did not land him in jail based on some falsified charges). One of the onlookers stepped in and told her to go to the edge of the town, near to the train station which led to the Emerald City.

"I think I saw them setting up an office there last week," he told her.

Elphaba thanked him, and three friends rushed there as fast as they could, which was not very fast considering that one had a head injury, one was heavily pregnant, while the last one was wearing heels.

There was not a single soul in sight when they reached the makeshift office. At first they wondered if they were at the right place. It was a rundown two storey building that could house maybe fifty people. Pip pushed at the door and it swung open easily. The trio went in.

The place looked lived-in, yet there was no sign of anyone. It seemed that the building had been abandoned in a hurry. In the main office, the shelves were emptied of their files and paper, but they found a pen left on the table. Next to the office, they found a dining area with a long table. There were a deck of cards on one end of the table, the game interrupted. Next to the cards was a cup of coffee, still warm to the touch. In the kitchen, there was a full set of cooking utensils and dirty plates in the sink, waiting to be washed.

They went upstairs. The rooms upstairs were used as bedrooms, and they found some personal belongings like toothbrushes, towels and thin mattresses. Elphaba walked to the end of one of the rooms and looked out of the window into the courtyard below. There were rows of clothes lines in the courtyard. Somewhere in the middle was a single Gale Force uniform. It swayed in the breeze, the fabric waving at Elphaba. Laughing at her for being late. Mocking her for being a fool.

"I will send a message to Kiamo Ko and Gillikin immediately," Drue told them. The three had made their way to the only people in town that they knew would help them. Deliadora sat quietly at one side of the room as she tended to Pip's head injury.

"The King and Queen may not be there, but there may be someone who knows where they are, and how to pass a message to them," he explained.

"Fiyero is a prince. He is entitled to political immunity. They cannot do anything to him," Deliadora spoke up.

Elphaba always thought that political immunity was a ridiculous law that allowed the aristocracy to commit crimes and get away with it, but at that moment she desperately wished that the immunity would protect Fiyero from harm.

"It might be too late by then," she spoke her worst fear aloud. "Where do they put Resistance members that they have arrested?"

"Southstairs. Most of them detained without trial," Drue told her the truth.

Elphaba felt the room spun and a pair of hands grabbed her and pulled her to a seat.

"I'm sorry," Drue apologised.

She shook her head as she warded off his apology.

"Is there a Vinkun ambassador or a representative in Emerald City who can help?" Pip asked.

Drue thought for a while.

"There is one, someone by the name of Westerlot. But I am not sure if he can help. He is more of an administrative personnel than anything else."

"Why don't we go back to Shiz?" Galinda suggested. "Madame Morrible may be able to help. Afterall, she knows both the Captain of the Gale Force and the Wizard."

Madame Morrible, however, was not as helpful as they hoped.

"Do you know what you are insinuating, Mister Regis?" she asked when Pip recounted his story for the second time that day. They were standing outside the door. The head mistress did not even invite them into her office.

"I did not insinuate anything, Madame," Pip protested. "The Gale Force really took them!"

"And what do you expect me to do?" she asked coolly.

"You know the Captain of the Gale Force," he hinted.

"I absolutely do not, Mister Regis. We just happen to serve the same master. We both serve the Wizard, for the greater good of Oz."

"I need an audience with the Wizard, Madame," Elphaba pleaded. "Can you write a letter like what you have done previously? I need to talk to him. The Gale Force had Nessarose and Fiyero, and only the Wizard can get them to release them."

The head mistress looked at her with disdain. "You are right if you think that your best chance lies with the Wizard. However, I am sorry to inform you that I had fallen out of his favour when you repeatedly refuse to meet him. And now you want me to arrange for a meeting so that you can accuse his elite force of wrongdoing? If that is not a career-ending move I don't know what is."

The older woman moved to close the door, but not before she gave a final advice.

"I will start worrying if I am you. The Gale Force is not known for being nice to their prisoners."

Elphaba rushed to the main road after that.

"Elphie! Where are you going?" Galinda asked as she tried to catch up.

"I am going to the Emerald City. And no one can stop me," she said as she hopped into a waiting carriage and gave the instructions to the driver, ignoring her friends who were still outside.

Elphaba reached the train station and bought a ticket for the next train to the Emerald City. As she waited, she took out her money and counted. She had enough to pay for her food for a few days, but what about the lodging? She bit her lower lip.

"Elphie?" she heard a soft voice beside her, and looked up to see a familiar petite figure sat next to her on the bench. Pip was standing next to them. And he had two bags by his side.

Galinda linked her arm with Elphaba's. "I am sticking with you, whether you like it or not."

"Me too," Pip, who had been quiet so far, added.

The three friends waited for the train in silence.

"Elphie," Galinda spoke up after a while. "Why did this happen?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"I don't know. Why did they arrest Fiyero and Nessarose but not Pip? Why did they accuse them of harbouring Resistance members? I have no idea. I only know that they took away my closest kin and my husband." She buried her face in her hands and did not protest when Galinda wrapped an arm around her.

The first thing they did when they reached Emerald City was to make their way to the Wizard's Palace. Unsurprisingly, they were blocked by the guards when they went up to the gate.

"State your name and purpose," one of them told them in a monotonous voice.

"My name is Elphaba Thropp, and I am here to see the Wizard," Elphaba said.

The guard took in her colour.

"We are not holding an audition for freaks."

The other guard added. "You are not allowed to go in unless you have an authorisation letter."

_Damn_ Fiyero for tearing up that letter months ago.

"I lost the letter. Tell him it is Elphaba Thropp from Shiz University, and he will definitely see me."

"We will not let you in unless you have proof that the Wizard is expecting you. Not even his favourite mistress can come in without permission," and the two guards laughed at what was most probably a joke shared millions of times.

"Unless you are telling me that you are pimping your pretty little friend," the guard gestured towards Galinda.

Elphaba walked away in disgust.

Drue had given them the address of Westerlot's office. For once, luck was on their side. Westerlot was in.

Elphaba introduced herself, hoping that he would remember her from that one time when she visited Emerald City with Fiyero. He did. Perhaps the unique skin colour helped.

"Please come in," Westerlot invited them into his small office. He was a short balding man, hardly taller than Galinda, and there was that timid look on his face.

He offered them some coffee.

"How can I help you, Your Highness?" he asked.

She went straight to the point. "I need to seek an audience with the Wizard."

"The Wizard? But he does not usually receive visitors, even if you are a member of the royal family. It will take weeks, or months, for this to be arranged."

"We don't have weeks. Fiyero had been arrested this afternoon and is most probably in Southstairs right now. He won't be able to survive there. Do you want to be the one responsible for killing your prince?" Elphaba lashed out at the poor man. He shrunk back visibly, as if her words were daggers.

Galinda placed a hand on her arm.

"Elphie, please don't scare him like this." Elphaba looked at the blonde with disgust and sat down.

Galinda addressed the man.

"Mister Westerlot, is there any way that you can write a letter to the Wizard? The Wizard knew Princess Elphaba and had wanted to meet her for some time but the arrangements didn't work out. So a letter should just do the trick."

"Well, his secretary might be the one screening his letters," Westerlot said.

Elphaba stood up and paced around the room.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Fly into his room to get his attention?" She gestured wildly.

Westerlot looked at the very angry Arjiki princess and was glad that he did not have to report to her.

"I can write a letter, but I don't know if he will grant you an audience. I cannot promise anything."

"If that does not work, I will cast a spell and rain Cats on his palace," Elphaba was incoherent.

Westerlot's house was too small to accommodate the three of them, and so they went to the house that the Arjiki King owned at the edge of Emerald City. Pip borrowed a hair pin from Galinda and asked the two ladies to keep a lookout.

"Where did you learn that?" Galinda turned back and looked at him as he twisted the pin before he slotted it into the lock.

"My parents used to impose curfews on me, but I could never make it. So I learnt how to pick locks from my friends," he explained as he shook the pin gently, paused and then turned the pin slightly. Pip heard a small click, and opened the door for them, a grin on his face.

"My hero," Galinda gave him a kiss as she walked through the door.

They removed the white sheets covering the furniture and checked out the rooms. There were some essentials in the bedroom, but there was no food in the cupboard.

"I will go and get some food," Pip offered.

"No," Elphaba stopped him. "You should rest. Fiyero had brought me around the last time and I know where the shops are." She needed something to occupy herself, to prevent her thoughts from imaging the worst.

She went to the shops alone and bought some food. They had a quiet dinner of sandwiches before they went to bed.

Elphaba lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling as she listened to Galinda's soft breathing as the girl slept. The bed was soft and comfortable but Elphaba was unable to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, she could smell the familiar smell that was Fiyero as if he was just lying next to her. She could almost feel his lips on her neck, his breath warm on her skin, and his hand on her hip. She could not help but think that she would see his face close to hers the moment she opened her eyes, just like what happened that morning, that she would see his summer blue eyes gazing at her with a smile on his lips. And then Elphaba remembered that she might never see his face again.

She could not stay on the bed any longer.

She tip toed out of the bedroom, leaving the door ajar as she was afraid that the sound of the door closing would wake Galinda. Pip's soft snoring could be heard from the next door. She went downstairs and sat on the couch in the living room, staring into empty space. She wondered where Nessarose and Fiyero were, if they were safe, if he was dead or bleeding. She hated this feeling of helplessness, of not knowing what to do, of not being able to do anything. The only thing that she could do was to sit there as she waited for daylight, the tears streaming down her face.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was dark. And surprisingly quiet.

Fiyero guessed that it was not a full-fledged prison, unlike Southstairs, and he was grateful for that. By the time he had regained conscious (with the most terrible headache that he had ever experienced), he was already in one of the three cells that he could see. The other two were not occupied. Nessa was in the same cell as him and he went to her. He tried to ask her where they were, but she only hanged onto him, crying softly. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her, not knowing how to comfort the distress girl.

The cell was above ground, with a small window high up on the wall that only let in a little sunlight. The lack of sun in the cell meant that whatever that was secreted there – sweat, urine, and maybe blood and vomit – stayed there, forming a sticky layer on the floor and giving the cell a pungent smell that made it almost impossible to breathe.

Fiyero tried to keep his hands off the ground and not to imagine how the place would look like if there was enough light. He thought he heard the sound of a rat skittering across the floor, and then Nessarose screamed as something against her and she tried to brush the animal away.

"Get it away from me, please!" she screamed, clinging closer to Fiyero. Fiyero had no choice but to place her on his lap.

Fiyero sat there and waited. There was nothing he could do. He could not even pace round, since Nessarose was still clinging onto him even though she had cried herself to sleep. She was troubled even when she was asleep, mumbling in her sleep, and she let out a brief cry there and then. Fiyero placed a hand on her back, and patted her sometimes.

It was very much later, when he could no longer see sunlight outside the window when he heard the sounds of footsteps.

Three soldiers came down, two of them in Gale Force uniforms. The last person had a tray of food with him.

Nessarose roused from her sleep when she heard the sounds of the cell door being unlocked.

"Are we free?" she whispered.

Her question was answered when the soldier put the tray of food on the floor.

"Dinner," he told them monotonously.

Fiyero stared back at them, defiant.

"Eat!" One of the Gale Forcers, a Lieutenant, commanded. "You will be here for a long time, so might as well make the best of it."

Nessarose looked at her, her eyes widening when she recognised his face.

"I can't stay here!" she cried out.

The same soldier grabbed her arm and pulled her to him before he dropped her on the ground. The other Gale Forcer pointed a rifle at Fiyero when he attempted to move forward.

"Stay," he commanded as he cocked the gun to show that he meant business.

"Lieutenant?" the soldier bearing the food stammered. "The Wizard specifically said that he wanted them unharmed."

The Gale Forcer turned back to the soldier.

"Oh yes, he did, solider. But he didn't say to leave you unharmed." And then he suddenly raised his voice and shouted at the soldier, "Now get out before I ask my man to shoot you!", and the soldier fled. Fiyero heard the sound of a metal gate opening and closing before the footsteps faded away.

The Lieutenant stared at Nessarose and lifted his left hand close to her. It was clad in a black leather glove. He took off the glove using his right hand and turned his hand so that his palm was facing the girl. Nessarose gasped. His fingers and palm were scarred, an ugly patch of thick scab with several cracks criss crossing across his palm and oozing pus.

"Do you see this? Your precious sister did this. That witch burned me! That aberration scarred me!" he roared at her.

Nessarose cried, and tried to scramble backward using her hands. The Lieutenant grabbed her arm and she cried out in pain.

"Stop it!" Fiyero shouted as he tried to go to Neesa's side, only to stop when the rifle was redirected over his chest.

The Lientenant looked at the terrified girl and his lips formed a sneer. "And who would expect that witch to have such a beautiful sister?" he said, as his scarred hand roamed over Nessarose's soft cheeks, her lips, down her neck, to her shoulder.

"No, please," Nessarose whimpered, closing her eyes in an attempt to shut off the horror.

"So tragically beautiful," he sighed without sympathy, and then he ripped the collar of her dress, exposing her garments underneath. He threw her onto the ground, and Nessarose lie there crying as the Lientenant began to unbuckle his belt.

"No!" Fiyero shouted as he pushed away the rifle, catching the other Gale Forcer unaware. The prince then jumped on the back of the Lieutenant and sent him sprawling onto the ground.

The Lieutenant turned back and swore. The fall had cut his lip, and he wiped away the blood, focusing his attention on the prince. Fiyero might have a chance if it was one to one, but the other other Gale Forcer hit him on his back with the gun and he stumbled. The two of them turned their attention to him and they began to kick him. He tried to stand up, but a blow on the face sent him to the ground again. Nessarose screamed.

"Trying to play hero?" one of them shouted as he continued to kick the prince with his heavy military boot. Fiyero managed to block the first few kicks, but a well-aimed boot landed on his abdomen, and he doubled over in pain. The soldiers continued to kick him everywhere as he lie on the floor helpless, every single kick sending an excruciating jolt throughout his body. After a while, he could not hear Nessarose' screams anymore, as all sounds faded and he could only sense the endless pain wrecking his body. It seemed like a terribly long time when darkness finally claimed him, giving him the respite that he so desperately needed.

**A/N Please review!**

**I had initially wanted to do a Shiz Fiyeraba fluff for my next fic. Then I got distracted by my Changing Fate spin off and wandered if I should do a sequel for that. And then last week I found my half written Emerald City fiyeraba that I had given up last year. Dilemma! **

**The next chapter should be up next week! =)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**A/N : thank you xXStefyXx, JCBoLt and DhampyrX2 for the reviews.**

**All right, I get the message (from the lesser than usual reviews). No one likes Fiyero to be tortured :P**

**xXStefyXx, me evil? *bat eyelids innocently at you***

**JCBoLt, thank you for finishing this fic for me. I like the fact that Fiyero has a **_**green**_** cape.**

**DhampyrX2, thank you for your long review! In my mind, the Arjiki are more tribal than warrior (I supposed when you say warrior you mean that they are aggressive and war-like) and Frex is not the governor of Munkinland. More replies to you at the end of this chapter.**

They got a reply via Westerlot two days later. The Wizard would see them the next day.

Galinda made everyone bathed and changed into clean clothes. Elphaba had to change into a bath robe found in the cupboard while Galinda washed her clothes. It would be a comical sight under any other circumstance, the high maintenance socialite squatting in the bathroom and scrubbing Elphaba's dark dress.

They discussed on their alternatives while waiting for Elphaba's dress to dry.

"What happens if he does not know where they are?" Pip asked.

"I'm sure he knows. Or he can ask someone who does," Galinda insisted. She refused to believe that they were on the wrong path.

"There is a possibility that he is not involved at all," Elphaba told her. "We still have no idea why they were arrested. Though the fact that the Gale Force only took Fiyero and Nessa meant that they were acting on instructions. "

"On whose instructions?" Galinda asked.

"I don't know," Elphaba admitted.

"How do we persuade the Wizard to release them? We don't have proof that they are not from the Resistance," Galinda asked her next set of questions.

Pip raised a hand. "I can vouch for his brainlessness, and I am sure that the Wizard will not consider a helpless girl like Nessarose as a treat."

"Alright, let's say we go in. Somehow he releases them. What do we do next?" Galinda seemed to be full of questions.

"We can go anywhere. We are free," Elphaba answered.

"I just hope that we are on time," Pip whispered as he looked down at the floor.

They all kept quiet.

Another sleepless night and the three of them were at the door of the Wizard's Palace at the appointed time. It was a cold day and it was drizzling when they left the house. Elphaba put on a black hooded opera cloak that she had found in the wardrobe, which covered her face and limbs, keeping her skin colour out of sight. Galinda wore a similar black cloak (against her wishes of course, since black looked ghastly on her).

The guards that they had met a few days ago were not on duty.

"We are here to see the Wizard," Pip waved the letter in front of the guards at the gate.

One of them took the letter and took a long time to read. He spoke to the guard next to him, who ran inside the Palace.

It took another fifteen minutes before he appeared again, and he whispered into the first guard's ear.

"Are you sure?" the first guard asked.

The second guard nodded.

The first guard looked at Pip again and tugged at his uniform as he straightened his shoulders, trying to make himself look less foolish with what he was going to say.

"The Wizard is expecting someone - with green skin."

Elphaba, who had been standing behind Pip with Galinda, gave an audible sigh and stepped up.

"I'm as green as it comes," she said with sarcasm, as she pushed the hood off, revealing her emerald skin for all to see. The guards' eyes widened.

"Can we go in now?" Pip asked.

The two guards hurried to open the door.

There was another pair of guards inside and they stared at Elphaba for a long while, before they remembered that they were supposed to search the visitors for any weapon.

After the search, the same guards led the three of them deep into the Palace. They went through a maze of corridors and a series of winding stairs followed by more corridors again. They had expected the interior of the Palace to be as opulent as the outside, but it seemed that it was not so. There were no chandeliers every few feet, no emerald green carpet, no guard at every corner, contrary to what was heard in the stories outside. In this route, the lights were low, the air musty, as if no one had taken this route for a long while. There were even cobwebs in certain corners. Elphaba was pretty sure that there was another route, filled with lights, open windows, with hanging tapestries and displays of wealth, and guarded by soldiers in starched clothes, a route reserved for important visitors such as bankers, ambassadors and the royalty from the different lands. This route was most probably used by visitors who should not be seen by the public – people like them. The group moved along the corridors quietly. Even Galinda who would usually chatter non-stop to break any silence was quiet. Pip and Elphaba looked around, trying to memorise the route as much as possible.

After a long walk, they reached a pair of massive doors with elaborate carvings and encrusted with precious stones of different shades of green. The doors were guarded another pair of guards, who opened the door and beckoned them inside. They went in, and the guards closed the door behind them.

"Are we trapped?" Galinda asked as she held onto Pip's arm.

"I don't think so," Elphaba replied, her eyes taking in everything.

They were in a big hall. The two sides of the halls were lined with marble plinths supporting busts of a man with a high forehead and a stern look. In front of each bust was a tray holding some oily liquid, burning with a low flame. There was a door near to the end of the room. At the end of the hall was a huge shiny bronze head, thrice the height of the visitors, with a pair of dark red stones as eyes. Behind the head hung a large curtain from the ceiling, blocking their view from whatever that was behind.

They moved towards the bronze head. Suddenly, the flames in between the busts flared up to the ceiling, and the previously dead eyes of the head came alive.

"WHO DARES TO COME TO THE THRONE OF THE GREAT WIZARD?" the mouth of the bronze moved up and down, but the loud voice seemed to come from everywhere.

Galinda screamed and buried her head in Pip's chest.

This was followed by a silence, as the light went out from the eyes, as if whatever that possessed the big head had left the room suddenly.

The three of them stood there, unsure of what to do next, when they heard a laughter coming from the far end of the room. Galinda peeped out of Pip's arms.

To their surprise, a man came out from behind the curtain. He looked like he was in his fifties. Like many men of his age, he had a slight belly and was showing signs of balding. He wore a shirt with a waistcoat, with matching pants. There was a genial smile on his face.

"I'm sorry if I have scared any of you," the man smiled at them as he clasped his hands together. "I thought that you will be impressed with - ," he waved his hand at the bronze head, "that."

"That was you?" Galinda asked as she untangled herself from Pip, awe in her voice.

"That was my ingenuity, my lovely, and technology," the Wizard, for that was who he was, replied, pleased that Galinda was impressed.

The Wizard then turned his attention to Elphaba.

"Miss Elphaba, I am so glad that we can meet today. It has been an uphill task getting you to come. And I thought I was the one with the busy schedule," the Wizard told her, amused by his own joke.

"I am only here for a reason," Elphaba replied with her head up high. She was not in a good mood. Galinda tugged at her sleeve.

"Elphie, be nice. They are still in his hands," she whispered.

"Oh yes, that one reason," the Wizard took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

"Your Terribleness, "he read. "Princess Elphaba Tiggular, the Crown Princess of the Arjiki tribe of Vinkus, will like to seek your audience with regard to the wrongful arrests of Prince Fiyero Tiggular, the Crown Prince of the Arjiki tribe of Vinkus, and Nessarose Thropp, sister of the Princess, second daughter of Frexspar Thropp, and a descendent of the Eminent Thropp. She will like to seek the earliest opportunity to meet you so as to clarify any misunderstanding with regard to their arrests."

He looked at her and chuckled.

"They liked to call me Your Terribleness. Am I really so terrible?"

Elphaba glared at him. "You arrested innocent people without reason."

Galinda quickly stood in front of her, pushing back the hood of her robe so that her blonde curls shook, reflecting the light from the chandeliers above. She knew how beautiful her hair shone under artificial light.

"Your Ozness" she said, giving a deep curtsey, and her curls shook again. "Please let me introduce myself. My name is Galinda Upload and I am from the Upper Uplands of Gillikin. May I have your permission to speak?"

"Yes, my lovely," the Wizard said.

"We are students, Your Ozness. We study in Shiz University."

"Go on," the Wizard said.

"We are just students on a shopping trip in town. I love shopping. It makes me happy. We didn't harbour any member from the Resistance. We didn't break any law."

"So are you saying that it is a misunderstanding?" the Wizard asked.

"We will be very glad to clarify any doubt that you have, your Ozness. With your wisdom, I am sure that you will be able to see the truth in no time," Galinda replied with another curtsey.

The Wizard looked at her with interest.

"Galinda Upland. I am surprised that the Madame Morrible had never mentioned you. You seemed to be a smart girl, Miss Galinda, and eloquent. Other people will be very scared right now, but you are still calm and collected. What is your major in in Shiz?"

Galinda beamed. "History, your Ozness."

"History. A very useful subject, " the Wizard thought for a while. "Let me think. Would you like to work for me when you graduate?"

Her eyes lit up. "For you?"

"Yes, for me. I have a press secretary whom I trust. But there are always one hundred and one things all begging for her attention. I think that it will be good if she has an assistant who can help her and also to learn the ropes. After all, a woman of her age will most probably retire soon. Why don't you write me to me when you graduate, and we'll see if we can work out an arrangement?"

"Thank you, Your Ozness," she curtseyed again.

The Wizard turned and faced Elphaba.

"Miss Elphaba, I am sure you remember that I had sent you an invitation to the Emerald City previously. My Grand Vizier will be retiring soon, and I am looking for a suitable candidate to replace him. This time round, I will like someone who is younger, smarter, and who possesses strong sorcery skills like me. You come highly recommended, Miss Elphaba."

"I see," she spoke through clenched teeth.

"Tell me, Miss Elphaba. Are you interested in the position of the Grand Vizier?"

"No," she told him bluntly.

The Wizard guffawed.

"Well, I think you are the first person whom I've met who is not interested in a position of power and prestige. Think of this, Miss Elphaba. If you are Grand Vizier, you will be my second in command. You can have all the power, and all the wealth that others can only dream of. People will grovel at your feet; they will do anything you want them to do to get into your good books." He looked at her from the corner from his eyes. "You can even command my Gale Force to do things, say, to stop beating a particular prisoner before they overdo it and kill him."

"Fiyero." The colour drained from her face.

The Wizard smiled. "All you have to do is to swear your loyalty to me, and work for me."

"Where is he?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry to inform you that the Gale Force was a bit enthusiastic when they arrested him, but he is safe for now," the Wizard told her. "Would you like to see him? And your sister?"

"Please," was all Elphaba could say.

"Very well," the Wizard said. He went to the door near to him and spoke to someone outside.

He came back to the hall, looking very pleased at how things turned out.

"They will be here shortly," he told them.

The shortly seemed like an eternity. The door opened and a soldier in the Gale Force uniform came in, carrying a box-like parcel wrapped in a thick cloth. Behind him was another soldier, holding the hand of a monkey dressed in red shirt. Following behind was the Captain of the Gale Force, the same person who turned up in Shiz, his gun pointing at the back a man who was carrying what seemed like a girl in who was asleep, or maybe dead. Her face was buried in his chest, and her arms around his neck. The man walked with a limp, his arms burdened with the sleeping girl. His legs were shackled. Some of his fingers were swollen, and his face was bloody with a swollen eye. His blonde hair was all dirty and messed up and his crumpled clothes were stained with blood and dirt. He looked as if he had been to hell and back.

_Fiyero! _Elphaba nearly called out his name.

He saw her and gave her a reassuring smile, but it turned into a bout of cough. The girl in his arms looked up, and Elphaba saw the frightened look in her sister's eyes.

"Fabala," she called out weakly.

The Wizard took over the parcel from the first soldier and dismissed the soldiers except for the Captain.

"Lieutenant, stay." The Lieutenant obeyed, and lowered his gun.

The Wizard turned his attention to Elphaba again.

"Now where are we?" he said. "Oh yes, the prince and your sister are here. The Gale Force was a bit too enthusiastic in carrying out their duties. I had reprimanded the Captain as I am sure you have noticed. His demotion will serve as a message to the rest of the Gale Force on what will happen if you do not uphold the professional integrity of the Gale Force."

The wizard paused for a while before continuing.

"I have to tell you that we have enough evidence on hand to prove that the prince harboured a Resistance member, a Cat no less. He seems to have a rebellious streak in him. A stint in Southstairs will do him good, but I am sure you think otherwise. I have a suggestion, or an offer, if you want to call it that way. I can release him from jail, but he will need to stay in the Palace as my long term 'guest', with you of course. You will work for me, and in one year's time, your friend Miss Upland will join us. One big happy family," he patted the cloth in his arm, which gave off a thick muted sound. "But I can only offer you this choice if you can prove that you are worthy to be my Grand Vizier."

"How do you want me to prove it?" Elphaba asked him.

The Wizard gestured at the monkey.

"This is Chistery. He has been my companion for a long time, and I love him like I will love my own son." He made a display of affection. "Chistery has a dream, Miss Elphaba. He told me about it. Yes, he did, though he is not capable of speech. And recently I've found, through the help of your head mistress, a way to make his dream comes through. A spell."

He unwrapped the cloth in his hands. Inside was a thick, leather bound book, older than any book that Elphaba had ever seen. The spine of the book was peeling off at places. The cover could have been a rich blue previously, but now it was only a faded grey. There was no title on the cover, no author, no word or picture that hinted at its contents. The papers were yellow with age. It smelled like it was kept in the darkest corner of a library for decades, and had only been brought out recently.

The Wizard flipped the book to a page that was bookmarked and turned it so that it was facing her, ignoring the wrapping cloth as it fluttered to the floor.

There was a glint in his eyes.

"I want you to prove that you are as powerful as what Madame Morrible said. I want you to cast a spell on him."

**A/N Hey, suddenly I realise my big boo boo. It seems that Frexspar (the Frex who is only a unionist minister and not a governor) does not have a family name, and the kids took Melena's Thropp due to the importance of the Thropp bloodline. Or did Frex take Melena's family name too after marriage?**

**DhampyrX2, you are right in saying that the Wizard is cunning. Not only that, he is manipulative, and very good in using propaganda in brainwashing his people. Who has seen the Gale Force grab Fiyero and Nessa? Pip and a few townsfolk, and they will not be willing to speak up, so it's Pip's words against the Gale Force/Wizard, and the Wizard can deny everything. Even if the Arjiki royal family manages to find Fiyero in a prison within the Wizard Palace, he can always claim that the Gale Force acted without his consent, and sacrifice a few of his soldiers to 'prove' his point. His instructions is to leave the prisoners unharmed, and only intends to use them as a bait to lure Elphaba to him, who had been turning down his invitations since she got married. He knows her well enough (through Morrible) that she will fly off her handle and rush over to Emerald City without planning. He has intended to use wealth and power to keep her to him, failing that, he had Fiyero and Nessarose to bind her to him. In the long run, he expects Elphaba to be just like most people, unable to walk away from her comfort zone (comfort zone needs not necessary be comfortable, it is just something that the person is used to). He can always improvise if she starts showing signs of defiance. Hope this clarifies.**

**BTW, the Captain was demoted because he was unable to find the resistance members in Shiz, not because he beat up Fiyero (that was why he was being addressed as Lieutenant in the previous chapter), but of course the Wizard twisted the facts. **


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**A/N Thank you very much for the reviews!**

**JCBoLt, I can imagine how much pain your teachers have to go through to mark your essays when you are mad :P**

**ExoticPeachBlossom, read on to find out.. am not going to give you any hint**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, maybe we could do an exchange, one chapter of mine to one chapter of yours? :P**

**GirlWithTheNotebook, wow… thank you very much for reading all 23 chapters at one go.. I hope this chapter does not disappoint…**

**Mel, is that a good or bad OMG?**

**ForeverCullenMockingJay, updating yeah!**

**Elphaba WWW, this is what my boss called between a rock and a hard place :P**

**BookWorm741, sacrificing the internet for Lent! I am sure your parents are very proud of you (I think I will go crazy if I don't have my internet for 40 days!)! LOL, yes, I didn't exactly want to stab the movie version of phantom but yeah, there was _that_ feeling. Can't wait for August when I will be watching Phantom the musical, but then kind of regret not getting a better seat (OTOH, I am bring RavenStraight (ahaha.. that's how I think of her nowadays – I am RavenCurls and she is RavenStraight cos she had straight hair) so I don't think she can appreciate that expensive front row seat). In this fic, I didn't specify if Elphaba is the Wizard's daughter (because I cannot decide, and it does not matter – the Wizard is wicked through and through, he will most probably sacrifice his own mother if he needs to). And Galinda is just overwhelmed by the sudden attention that the Wizard pays her (she is really a good girl at heart as you will see).**

**This chapter is one of mixed feelings, because so many things happen and they happen so fast.**

"A spell?" Elphaba asked.

"Yes. For his own safety, I have been keeping him indoors, and that have made him terribly unhappy. This spell will equip him with the means to protect himself if he goes out on his own, and it will also allow you to prove that you are as talented as what Madame Morrible say. And I need that in my Grand Vizier, the skills to aid me whenever required."

"Aren't you the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? I have heard that you are the only male sorcerer in the whole of Oz. Why can't you cast your own spell?" Elphaba could not help but antagonise him.

The Wizard fumbled slightly. "I, well, I am busy with other matters. I am a very busy man. Now are you going to cast that spell?" He glanced at Fiyero and Nessarose. The message was clear.

Elphaba did not reply, but took the book from the Wizard and lay it on the floor before she sat down.

She studied the book. The cover was made from the skin of an animal that she could not identify. The paper was rough, yellowish, ancient and familiar. The page in front of her was blank. She remembered the time when Madame Morrible passed her a piece of paper to read, and she was sure that it came from this book. Both have the same look, feel and texture. Elphaba slid her finger down the side of the book and felt an almost unnoticeable gap between the pages. She knew that she would find half of the page torn out if she flipped to that page. And she remembered how the words came out when she focused. Words that were of a language unknown to anyone in Oz.

"Now are you going to cast that spell?" the Wizard asked impatiently.

Elphaba looked at the book again and placed her fingers gently on the paper. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

The whole hall was quiet. No one, save Galinda, had seen her casted a spell before. They did not know what would happen. They did not know what to expect. They did not hear the song that slowly seeped out of the book, twirled upwards, over and across her arm. It was not the usual song with tune and lyrics. It was a song without words, without notes. It was music that could not be described and could not be repeated. It was like hearing the sounds of running water as it flowed through the stones of the riverbed, the whispers among the trees when the wind blew, and the way the land moved silently in the dead of the night. And only Elphaba could hear it. Only Elphaba could _feel_ it. She let it wrapped around her, a cocoon of a hundred pictures, a thousand stories and a million words.

She opened her eyes and saw the letters. They floated around, moving pass one another, overlapping one another, like a group of children playing catching in a field. They formed one non-existing word and then another, and sometimes a real word presented itself, only to break up a tick tock later. Her eyes moved as she found one word at one corner of the page, and then another at the other corner. Her heart beat faster as more words appeared.

Chistery licked his paw and brushed his hair.

A word stopped moving momentarily, and she placed a finger on it. She could almost feel it wiggling under her fingertip like a fish swimming just underneath the surface water, before it moved away. She closed her eyes again, channelling herself through the words as she ignored the rapid beating of her heart.

Everyone held their breath.

Elphaba felt the pressure built up as the music tightened around her.

The monkey chirped. Her concentration broke. The loving embrace dissipated.

She looked at the Wizard. "I can't," she said softly.

"What?"

"I tried. But I can't!" she cried out, despair in her voice.

He looked down at her. "That's impossible. You're more powerful than this. You passed all the tests." And then suddenly something occurred to him.

He kneeled down in front of her.

"They say that the talent for sorcery only passes down the female descendants of a family," he mumbled more to himself than to Elphaba. "Are you carrying a boy?" he directed the question to her.

She placed her hand on her stomach protectively.

"I don't know," she whispered apprehensively.

"That boy in your womb could have caused a diminishing of your powers. You are as good as useless until he is born." The Wizard told her harshly. And then his demeanour changed again as a grin slowly appeared on his face. "But that's not a show stopper. I know of a very good doctor who will be able to persuade that thing to come out earlier."

"You can't do that," she shrunk away from the Wizard. "The baby is not due yet."

"I can, and I will. Think of this as your sacrifice for the good of Oz," the Wizard told her dismissively. He stood up and looked at the Lieutenant, "Lieutenant, bring in the guards."

The Gale Forcer nodded, and there was no hiding the smirk that spread across his face as he turned and walked towards the door.

Just then, tiny points in the air glowed. There are hundreds of them, like groups of fireflies at night. The points glowed in different colours - red, green, brown and gold. The glows grew brighter and brighter, bigger and bigger, and then they moved. They shed their brightness and joined together to form a magnificent creature, half the length of the throne room. It was a creature with a long snout and sharp teeth, with long thick whiskers at each side of its face. It had golden glowing eyes and large green scales tinted with gold on its long body, each scale the size of a human's palm. There were four legs, each ending with a foot with four sharp claws. The body tapered into a tail with a red tip. The creature made no sound as it flew along the length of the great hall, twisting its long body gracefully as it cut through the air and causing a slight breeze to those nearby. Its eyes, when it turned and looked at the occupants, shone with intelligence.

Everyone stared at the dragon, amazed. Everyone, that is, except for two.

The Wizard had never seen a dragon. Of course he had heard of them. He had even sent scouts to the Badlands to see if it is possible to buy some to form an army of dragons, without success. But had the Great Wizard of Oz ever seen a dragon in his life? Never. He looked at the creature, and it turned and looked at him, as if it knew of his obsession for creatures of its kind. The dragon flew closer to him, until it was just two arm spans from his face. The Wizard reached out his hand and could feel its hot breath on his palm. He took a step forward, with the full intention to touch the magnificent creature before it flew out of his reach again. And then, the sound of a thud and total darkness.

Galinda stood behind the fallen body, one of the Wizard's busts held high in her hands. She looked at the motionless body on the ground and dropped the bust on the floor, nearly hitting her own foot.

The dragon suddenly disappeared.

"Oh sweet Lurline, did I kill him?" She started to panic.

Pip snapped out of his trance. He quickly went over to the Wizard and rolled the man over to check for his breath. He then stood up and kissed her on her forehead.

"No, he is just unconscious. You did a great job," he told her as he pulled her into his arms. "But Oz, was that the spell?" He looked at Elphaba.

Elphaba shook her head. "No, it is an image," she smiled weakly.

She turned to look at Fiyero and froze. In the commotion, they had forgotten all about the Lieutenant, and now he stood beside Fiyero, his gun pointing at the prince's temple. There was no doubt as to what he intended to do.

"No!" Elphaba cried out.

The Lieutenant smirked as he pulled the trigger, but at the last moment his wrist turned slightly and his fingers opened, dropping the gun in his hand. He gave a gut wrenching scream and stumbled away, contorting his body until it looked as if it would break. He fell onto the floor, his hands trying to reach for his back, his face distorted as waves after waves of excruciating pain pierced through his body.

As everyone watched in horror, they saw something growing from his back, under his Gale Force uniform. It looked like two irregular sticks with a round knob at each tip. It continued to grow longer and longer, until the uniform could not be stretched anymore and the fabric tore. The Lieutenant screamed again.

Galinda covered her ears with her hands, as Pip wrapped an arm around her, unable to tear his eyes from the grotesque scene in front of him.

They saw what it was truly was when it tore through the emerald uniform – a pair of newly formed wings. It was not feathered like a bird's wings, but was more like a bat's, with a thin membrane stretched across the bones. The Lieutenant lay on the floor, his shirt in tatters, his body curled like a baby. The skin on his back was broken, and they could see the place where the bone of the wings fused with his shoulder blades, and the muscles that were now exposed.

The Lieutenant took a shallow breath, and his new appendages unfolded and extended to its full span with a whooshing sound. Each wing was twice the length of a human's arm. The translucent skin was wet with a layer of viscous substance and matted with blood. There were a multitude of tiny blood vessels running across the tissue. The Lieutenant breathed out as he lay motionless on the ground, and the wings folded again.

Galinda could not even scream.

Elphaba was the first to react. She went over to Fiyero quickly, who was still carrying Nessarose. He had a look of shock on his face, his eyes still locked on the fallen figure near to him.

"Fiyero," she whispered his name, and it was only then that his eyes focused on her.

"Fabala?"

Elphaba looked at her sister, who had buried her face onto Fiyero's chest when the screaming started. It was only then that she noticed that Nessarose's sleeve and collar were torn.

She looked at her husband.

"He... he tried to… " Fiyero was unable to find the words, and glanced at the Lieutenant. Elphaba followed his glance, and she paled when she realised what he was trying to say.

"No! No, he didn't …. The Wizard arrived at the cell and stopped him," he told her, fully aware of the irony.

"Fabala, I want to go home," Nessarose whimpered, as fresh tears rolled down her pale, smudged cheeks.

Elphaba nodded, and stroked her hair with trembling hands.

"Yes, we're leaving this place. You're safe now, Nessa," she told her sister.

"Pip," she called. He came over with Galinda.

"Come, pass her to me," Pip told Fiyero. Pip carried Nessarose and placed her on the floor, face away from the gruesome scene, and Galinda supported the weak girl. Without a word, the blonde took out a hair pin from her hair and passed it to Pip. It was the same pin that he had used to pick the lock at the Tiggular house in the Emerald City and he used it to unlock the lock of the chains at Fiyero's legs.

The first thing that Fiyero when he was free was to pull Elphaba to him and kissed her hard on the mouth.

"I thought that I will never see you again," he told her, his hand still at the back of her neck.

She touched his face gently and he winced at the pain.

"How can they do this to you?" she asked.

"I think they are jealous of my looks," Fiyero joked. Elphaba did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Eeehhh, lovebirds, so what are we going to do with him?" Pip asked, pointing to the Wizard who was still unconscious.

They looked around.

"Put him behind the curtain," Fiyero suggested. Pip nodded, and the two of them lifted the Wizard by his limbs and slowly made their way to the curtain. They had just disappeared behind the drape when Pip called for Elphaba.

"In the name of the Unnamed God. Elphaba, you should see this."

She went over, and saw a long and narrow cage hidden behind the curtain. There were hundreds of monkeys, or Monkeys, inside. They were all filthy and looked as if they were not being well taken care of. The cage was so crowded there was hardly any space for them to move. The monkeys hung on the rusty bars of the cage, back to back. Some were sitting on the floor of the cage. Some clung onto their companions. A few of them were staring at the newcomers. And the strange thing was that none of them was making any sound. It was as if they were all mute.

Elphaba stared at the cage and its occupants.

"Defying gravity," she said to herself.

"What?"

She looked at them. "The spell. It is a spell to defy gravity! It will give them wings! Just like what had happened to the Lieutenant. All these monkeys …." she trailed off, the horror on her face as she looked down at her hands. She had panicked when she saw the gun so close to Fiyero. She had … what had she done? She had thrown a spell at the Lieutenant without thinking, and now she finally knew which spell it was, and what was the spell supposed to do.

"How can I be so wicked?" she asked herself as she stared at her hands, lost in her thoughts. She had nearly turned all the monkeys into monsters. And she had turned a man into a monster. It was her, a wicked green girl who was unable to keep her powers in check.

Fiyero ignored the pain in his fingers and cupped her face with his palms, forcing her to look at him.

"You're not wicked. He is the wicked one. He set up all these. He gave you the book. He knows that you can read it. He knows that you can make the wings grow on these monkeys," he told her.

"But ….. but I am the one who cast the spell, Yero."

"You do it to save me. I am alive because of you, because of what you did. You saved me." He kissed her on her lips.

"You saved me," he told her again.

Pip pretended to cough.

"Excuse me, but why does the Wizard want winged monkeys?" He asked.

"Maybe he intends to use them as soldiers. Or as spies. No one will expect an army to swoop down from the skies. Or spies to be listening from your rooftop," Fiyero guessed, his arm around Elphaba. "It is definitely not to make his pet happy."

"This is sick," was all Pip could say.

"We got to let them go. They should not be locked up like this, wings or no wings," Fiyero told them.

Pip nodded. "We will let them out from the same door that we came from. It will take the guards by surprise. And then it will be easier for us to escape in the confusion."

Elphaba and Fiyero went back to Galinda and they pulled Nessarose to stay next to the door. Fiyero then grabbed the Grimmerie that was still on the floor.

"Why do you want that old book?" Galinda asked.

"She can read it," Fiyero told her.

Just then, they heard a groan from the floor. They turned and looked at the Lieutenant. He was still alive, though barely, and his fingers moved slightly. The Lieutenant looked at them.

"Please… kill me," he pleaded weakly as his eyes looked at the gun just was just out of his reach.

"Why?" Elphaba asked softly. She hated the Lieutenant for what he had done, but the sight of the solider dying with a pair of wings on his back was not something that she would wish on anyone.

He took another breath and his wings opened up again. "I'm a monster. An aberration."

Fiyero did not bother to conceal the disgust in his voice. "You are a monster even before this," he told him, and pulled Elphaba away.

Pip unpicked a lock for the third time that day. He threw the door of the cage wide and beat on the sides of the cage with his palms to force the monkeys out.

Galinda opened the same door that they had entered earlier and stepped out. The monkeys followed her and streamed into the corridor. The guards outside jumped when they saw the crowd of animals. Before they could react, they were overrun by a dozen monkeys. The animals screeched as they left by the open door, as if they were cheering for their freedom. A few of them surrounded Chistery and tore off his clothes. The Wizard's pet joined them, and soon it was no longer possible to find him in the crowd. The petite girl, hardly taller than the monkeys, moved ahead of them and cheered them on, showing them the route that they had used earlier.

Fiyero leaned heavily onto Elphaba, supporting her as much as she supported him. They waited with Pip and Nessarose, and followed the last of the monkeys out of the throne room.

The flood of monkeys flowing into the streets was a sign that no one had ever seen and would never see again. The public screamed and panicked, causing more confusion. The guards outside tried to shoot at the monkeys, but a vicious leader in the midst leaped into the air and jumped on one of the guard's face. Another monkey bit the leg of another guard, and he dropped his rifle and howled in pain.

Galinda joined them, and the group blended into the crowd of panic residents and they moved further and further away from the Palace. Elphaba followed blindly, her arm around Fiyero and his arm around her, her mind flitting through all that happened earlier, what she had done earlier. She suddenly saw a signboard and the memories of a certain conversation came back to her. She remembered the furtive glances as he sat down, the conspiratorial tone that he used in the quietness of the library. She shifted Fiyero to Galinda and placed a hand on Pip's shoulder. He turned to her.

"Pip, please bring them back to the house safely. I need to go and do something."

Fiyero grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going? I'm not going anywhere without you."

She shook her head. "Go back and let Galinda tend to your injuries. Give me one hour. I will be back."

"No," his grip tightened.

Elphaba looked at him and saw the fear in his eyes. The few days in the jail had taught the prince that there was a possibility that he might not see her again. She got a feeling that he would never let her out of his sight again if he had his way. But she knew what she had to do.

She looked him in the eye, ignoring the people who pushed past them in a bid to get out of the vicinity of the Palace.

"I will be back as soon as possible. I promise," she told him.

Fiyero looked at her face, searching for any hint that would indicate that she was lying, that she was just trying to humor him, that she was, for whatever reason, going to run away and disappear from his life. He found none. He relaxed his grip slightly, reluctantly, and then she was gone.

She went to the alley next to the badly maintained signboard that read 'Fox meat'. The alley was dark, dirty and narrow. It was that kind of lane that a grown man would hesitate to take even in the daylight, let alone a single woman like her. There was a man on the ground, too drunk to move, and he shouted a slur at her. She ignored him and pushed on, pulling her cloak close to her so that it would not be caught on a stack of broken rattan baskets stacked up against the wall. Two right turns, one left, and then there was a dead end, a whole wall lined with weathered planks. The planks were not supposed to be there.

Elphaba stepped up to the wall and pulled down the planks one by one using her bare hands. Her hands shook and she barely had enough strength to pull down the long pieces. But adrenaline pushed her on. She needed to know if she had come to the right place. She brought down half of the planks before she found what she was looking for - a disused wooden door in the middle of the wall with a slot for the occupants to check on the outside world.

She knocked on the door, her heart pumping fast. Was she too late?

The slot opened, revealing nothing behind it, but Elphaba knew there was a pair of eyes looking at her.

"The Fox jumps over the lazy Dog," she said.

After a while, a voice, which almost did not sound Animal, replied.

"Show me your face."

Elphaba pushed down her hood to reveal her emerald features and messy raven black hair. There was a long uncomfortable silence, and then the sound of a few bolts being pushed back before the door opened.

Standing there was a Fox and a face that she had not seen for some time.

"Mrs Tiggular, I was not expecting you. So have you decided to abandon that brainless prince and joined our happy family?" the familiar ex-Shiz student asked with a grin.

She knew that there was no turning back.

"I have the information that you want, Mo. I knew the way to the Wizard's throne room."

**A/N For those who have forgotten, Madame had taught Elphaba imaging in chapter 7, and she had conjured a lifelike dragon during the class (it was the second living thing that came into her mind, the first being Fiyero).**

**Does anyone like my new avatar? It's a vegetable BTW :P**

**Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**A/N **

**13 May 2013 -**

**FF net's email alert was not working over the weekend so I will try to repost this. Plus, a slight change for the green item =) I hope that this will not delete the reviews that JCBoLt and ElphabasKillJoy124 had posted for this chapter.**

**xxxxxxx**

**Thank you for the reviews.**

**BookWorm741, Elphie pissed? She is more of the agony type IMO…**

**ChaoticSymphonyOfDarkness, thank you for loving this chapter! =)**

**JCBoLt, no, Fiyero did not sneer at the lieutenant (I didn't imagine him sneering). He was just angry, because the Lieutenant tagged Elphie as a monster just because she had green skin, but in Fiyero's opinion, the Lieutenant himself was the monster because he was cruel and heartless. Watch out for a little green item in this chapter. It will appear again in part 2 =)**

**Elphaba-WWW, the dragon idea was inspired by both the book. Now you know why I had to draft the whole storyline before I started publishing, because there is simply too many references to and fro for this fic.**

**To you-know-who, I hope you are feeling better now. **

**Sorry for forgetting, but thank you for the alerts and favourites for the past 2 chapters. =)**

**I am splitting chapter 25 into two parts due to several reasons, one of them being that it had become too long (more than 5000 words). **

Fiyero lumbered, his arm drapped across Galinda's shoulder while she supported him around his waist. The black cloak that she was wearing was now on his back, covering his injuries. He was tired. He had not eaten much for the past few days and his leg hurt. His vision blurred, and he stumbled, nearly pulling the petite girl down with him. It was as if whatever strength he had in him left the moment Elphaba disappeared from his sight. Pip looked at him, and without a word, hailed a carriage that passed by. To hell with keeping a low profile. He was not going to let his friend collapsed on the streets after all the effort that they had gone through to rescue him.

The carriage dropped them a short distance away from the house that they were staying in. Pip carried Nessarose into one of the bedrooms and left the room, giving the girls the privacy that they needed. Galinda changed Nessarose into one of her clothes and wiped the girl with a wet towel. She then took a brush and combed the kinks out of her dark brown hair, giving short encouraging remarks once in a while. The younger girl looked tired, but there was no other physical injury on her beside a few scratches here and there, and Galinda gave a silent thank to Lurline.

In the other room, Fiyero stripped off his clothing, and staggered to the bathroom for a bath. He hissed in pain when he lowered himself into the water and felt the stinging sensation on the open wounds. There was pain everywhere – his face, his chest, his back, his legs. Every breath he took hurt and he suspected that the Gale Force had broken at least one rib. He thought wryly that perhaps this is how an Arjiki warrior felt after he had wrestled with a lion in the Thousand Year Grasslands. When he came out from the bath, his dirty clothes were gone and there was some bread and a bathrobe lying on the bed. He put on the robe, wincing when the cotton fabric came into contact with his injuries. He finished the bread, and climbed onto the bed with the intention to rest, but soon moved into a position that hurt the least and fell asleep.

He had no idea how long he slept, but a sudden clanging sound woke him up. He looked around groggily. The rays of the setting sun shone into the room, telling him that it was twilight. He listened for more sound, but all he heard was silence. He stood up. There was this empty feeling, as if he was only living thing in the whole house. An irrational fear gripped him, causing his heart to beat faster. Maybe they had left. Maybe they have decided that he was too much of a burden with his injuries and had decided to abandon him and move on. Or maybe the Gale Force had broken into the house when he was asleep and grabbed the others.

An image came unbidden into his mind. Elphaba was lying on the floor of a cell, similar to the one that he was in. A pair of arms pinned her down to prevent her from escaping. Kneeling in front of her was the Lieutenant, his newly grown wings extended fully, as he raised a dagger high in the air. He plugged the dagger deep into her heart and she screamed in pain, her screams reverberating throughout the dungeon. The Lieutenant laughed maniacally, calling her an aberration before he pulled out the weapon and plunged it into her body again. Elphaba's struggles became weaker as he continued to stab her, until she no longer moved. And still the Lieutenant did not stop, as he vented his hatred for her until she was nothing but a messy tangle blood stained green ribbons.

_No, please, no._

"Elphaba?" he called her name. The sudden use of his vocal box triggered a coughing fit, and he bent over, his hand clutching his chest as he tried to lessen the sharp pain that shot across his ribcage. And then he heard the sound of running footsteps before he felt the familiar touch of her hand rubbing his back. He lifted his head and saw her through his tears-filled eyes, worry etched on her face. She was here, she was alive. Fiyero would have shouted with joy if he was not busy trying to catch his breath.

"I'm fine," he told her hoarsely when the fit was over.

"I'm sorry," she said, "this is all my fault."

"Your fault?"

"It was me that the Wizard wanted. It's my fault that Nessa and you had to endure so much for the past few days…" she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face on his neck.

Fiyero kissed her hair.

He wanted to tell her that it was not her fault. It was not her fault that the Wizard wanted to grow wings on monkeys and called for their arrests. But he kept quiet and held her as much as he could. She tightened her hug, and he gave a soft hiss as the pain shot through his chest again.

"Not so hard," he told her.

She released her arms and looked at him.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, and then shook her head when she realised what a stupid question it was.

"I can't say it doesn't," he admitted.

Her eyes widened, and she untied the belt of the bathrobe and parted the robe, giving a hiss of her own when she saw the bruises on his torso and legs.

She stared at his body for a long time and Fiyero started to feel embarrassed for no reason.

"Don't," he said as he wrapped the bathrobe around himself again.

She looked at him again, and Fiyero could see the pain in her eyes. She was so easy to read. She had never hid her feelings from him ever since they were together, except for that short period when she wanted to leave him. He knew that she blamed herself for what happened. She blamed herself all the pain that Nessarose and him had gone through, even though she was not the one who had abused them during their stay. And she would believe that no matter what he said.

She lifted her hand in the air, inches from his face, and paused. Fiyero could almost see her brain ticking as she tried to search for something in his eyes. She then stepped up to him and gently held his face with her hands.

"Please forgive me…."

He felt her lips on his, kissing him gently, tentatively, as if he was a delicate piece of chinaware to be handled with care. He felt the warmth of her skin through the haze of pain as she slid her hand into the robe and rested it lightly on his chest, her fingers spread across his bruised skin. He kissed her back with his eyes closed and placed his hands on her hips, wanting to touch her, yet not wanting her flushed against him as the slight pressure of her body would trigger the pain from his injuries. He felt her ran her other hand in his tousled hair, pressing his head towards her, and he parted her lips with his. The haze and the numbness seemed to clear. It was as if her touch, her kiss, her presence, could take away the pain of the injuries, could make his breathing soother. His hands moved on their accord to her back and he pressed her as close to him as the baby allowed. Elphaba tightened her arms around him, and all he could feel was her embrace, her lips, and the chill that radiated from her skin.

_No!_

Fiyero tried to push her away. He wanted to break the physical contact between the two of them . But stopped when he saw how pale she was. She smiled at him, a weak smile, and then wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly.

He did not need to ask why. He knew why she did it. And damn it, she had distracted him because she knew that he would never agree to this. At that moment, he hated her, hated her stubbornness, her self-sacrificial thinking and her tactics. And yet he loved her. Loved her truly and deeply, loved her more than anything in the world. Loved her always. And he knew beyond a doubt that she loved him as much, or even more.

He pulled her to him and held her tightly, now that the worst of the pain was gone. "You silly girl. You shouldn't have done this," he whispered as he rubbed her arms with his hands, trying to banish the cold and make her warm again.

"Your injuries will delay us," she lied emotionlessly, and then said no more. And all he could feel was the shallow rising of her chest as she leaned against him.

"Elphaba?" There was a voice at the door. He looked up and saw Pip.

"Yes?" He asked as Elphaba turned and looked at the newcomer.

"You're back," she whispered.

Pip nodded. "And I managed to get the horse and the wagon," he told her.

"Horse and wagon?" Fiyero asked.

Pip looked at his friend sharply. Before this, Fiyero's eyes had been bloodshot, his voice weary. But now his eyes were clear and his voice strong. Pip noticed that he was no longer slouching, and the colour had come back to his face. It was not something that a long bath could do. And then he noticed the grey, worn-out look on Elphaba's face, and how frail she looked as she leaned against the prince, his arms wrapped around her protectively. Pip knew that something important had happened, but he was unable to figure out what.

"We're leaving the Emerald City tonight," Elphaba told Fiyero.

"We had a discussion just now while you were sleeping. We will cross the border to Vinkus as soon as possible," Pip added. "The Gale Force had no right to arrest us once we crossed over to Vinkus,"

"There is also nothing to stop them from crossing the border and coming after us since there is no petrol around that area," he pointed out the flaw.

"They'll be busy," Elphaba told him, a slight smirk on her face.

He looked at her.

"Let's just say that they have more important matters to attend to." She refused to say more.

Fiyero looked at Pip for answers, but the Gillikinese just shrugged.

They went downstairs, where Nessarose was seated, a half-eaten sandwich in her hand. In front of her was a small but growing pile of items.

"Fiyero," she greeted the prince with a wan smile, and Fiyero could not help but noted that her tone towards him was more cordial. At least something good came out of the prison stay.

Galinda came out from the kitchen, and added a few bowls into the midst, making a sharp clanging sound as the bowl hit the other items on the pile, a sound similar to the one that had woken him earlier.

Elphaba wanted to follow the blonde to the kitchen, but Fiyero stopped her.

"You'll sit, and I will help Galinda," he commanded as he made her sit next to her sister.

Nessarose took in Elphaba's pale face, and frowned, perplexed.

They went around the house and stripped it bare. Food, blankets, clothes, lamps, and whatever that they would need for their long journey. Knives too, for protection.

The plan was to leave by the main gate of the Emerald City just before closing time. The night would be dark and the soldiers would be tired after a whole day's work.

"I got a cloaking spell that will make us less noticeable," she told them.

"You are going to make us invisible?" Pip asked.

"No. Just less noticeable. More ordinary."

"You're too tired for any more spell," Fiyero insisted. "Can't Galinda help?"

The petite girl nodded her head vigorously. "I've learnt this before," she said.

Pip finally understood what Elphaba meant when they went out the main gate moments before the gate closed for the night. The guards questioned him, and he gave some vague answer about escaping the unrest with his family. One guard held the reins of the horse, while another went to check out his 'family' at the back of the covered wagon.

Galinda gasped when the guard poked his head in and she let go of her spell. But the guard did not seem to notice anything amiss, and went back to Pip, waving them through. She wondered about their good luck, and glanced at Elphaba. It was only then that she noticed the grim look on her friend's face, her lips pressed into a thin line as she concentrated on keeping spell intact.

They turned west once they left Emerald City and crossed over the border to Vinkus that night. It was wilderness and untamed region. Everyone was on alert. There was no telling if the diversion that Elphaba had predicted would work or if the Gale Force would follow them across the border and arrest them.

The journey took many days. During the day, they would find a place to hide and rest. During the night, they would travel in the dark, with Fiyero or Pip up front, and one other person as company.

Fiyero had travelled the route twice on his own. The first time was a dare with some friends, to see if he could traverse the area on his own without a horse or carriage. The other time was, well, he was just plain bored. He supposed they were lucky. They could have strayed off course and gotten lost within the first two days without his prior experience. He hoped that any soldiers who attempted to follow them would stray off course and died a dreadful death.

Nessarose was always at the back, accompanied by either Galinda or Elphaba. On the surface, she seemed to have emerged unscathed from her stay in the prison. But when she was asleep, she would talk and cry in her sleep. It was always the same dream, but a different dream. She would be back in the cell, alone, or with Fiyero. And the Lieutenant would be there, a smirk on his face as he put his hands on her. Or it would be some faceless man, or men, touching her the way she did not want. Or the cell door would open and they would let Fiyero go, leaving her alone in the cell. The lights would go out, plunging her into darkness and the rats would come out and bite her skin, their vicious teeth refusing to let go no matter how much she tried.

She woke up screaming every single time, sobbing uncontrollably.

Elphaba started to stick close to her. She would let Nessarose leaned against her as she slept and stroked her hair, or patted her arm. The elder Thropp would whisper gently to her, or sing a song when she started to whimper in her sleep, her voice so soft that it did not carry beyond the wagon. It seemed to help, and Nessarose would drift back to sleep, another nightmare averted.

"I never know you can sing, Elphie," Galinda said once when Elphaba finished a song, cradling Nessarose as much as she could with that big tummy of hers.

"I used to sing to Nessa when she was younger. This is her favourite song, a song that my mother had sung to me when she was alive."

"That's lovely," was all Galinda could say, as she started to think of her Momsie and Popsicle. She wondered how they were doing.

That night, Galinda broke the silence as she sat next to Pip up front.

"Pip?"

"Hmmm?" her boyfriend replied, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of people, friendly or otherwise.

"Do you know what day is today?" It was past midnight.

"What day is it?"

"It's your birthday."

Pip turned and looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide.

"You're right!" he replied with a smile.

"You know, I was planning to hold a surprise party for you at Grommie's. Just the few of us. And I had gotten a present for you, but its back in my room." Galinda sniffled as she thought of the pink cuff links that she had left in her room when she went back to pack.

"Well, you still can hold surprise party for me," Pip told her, his voice surprisingly cheerful.

Galinda sat up. "Now?"

He turned and grinned at her as he pulled on the reins and stopped the horse.

Galinda turned her palms up, pretending to be supporting a birthday cake and sang a birthday song.

"Surprise, Pip," she whispered as a smile broke on her face. "Happy birthday."

Pip pretended to look surprise and blew out the imaginary candles. Galinda lifted her palms higher and he pretended to take a bite from the top of the cake.

"There's cream on your nose," she said mischievously.

Pip pretended to wipe the cream from his nose with his finger and smudged the phantom cream on Galinda's nose instead.

"Oh Pip," she giggled, and then stopped when Pip leaned forward and kissed her.

It was approaching winter, and Fiyero assumed that most of the people from the Arjiki tribe would have gone back to Kiamo Ko, which would account for their lack of presence as they moved along. They decided to start off earlier and end later each day so that they could reach their destination earlier. Fiyero understood that they would never make it if they did not reach Kiamo Ko before the first blizzard come. Winter in Vinkus was no child's play. Even now, the wind that came down from the Great Kells was cold and biting, chilling them to their bones no matter how many layers they wore and how close they huddled together.

Fiyero began to worry for Elphaba's health.

He looked around, and found a grey woollen cap and a green thin cape tucked in a corner of the wagon. The initials _JCB_ was snitched on the cape. It must have belonged to the previous owner of the wagon. The green was almost the same shade as Elphaba's skin, and the material was so worn that it could break apart any moment. There were a few small holes on the fabric. He lifted it up to show her. She shook her head but he plopped the cap on her head, while he tied the cape around him for comic effect. She did not even smile.

**A/N please review! =) **

**JCBoLt, did I make your day? =)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25 part 2**

**Thank you very much for the reviews! =)**

**JCBoLt, sorry but I cannot add a chicken in this chapter. They are in the wilderness and food is scarce. So it does not make sense for a chicken to appear.**

**ElpahabsKilljoy124, thank you for your compliment! =)**

**James Birdsong, you're back! =)**

**Elphaba-WWW, hey, where/when did you kill her?**

**BookWorm741, LOL… Fiyero got his hands full. I like that. I think your review inspired a certain scene in this chapter.**

**Maddy-Fae, remembered my last PM? I was asking you to wait till end May before you read this story (so that you can finish reading all at one shot). =)**

**This is actually part 2 of chapter 25 btw (that chapter that becomes too long for easy editing).**

The other thing that Elphaba would do besides taking care of Nessarose was to pore over the big ancient book that they had taken from the Wizard, the book that she called the Gimmerie.

"What are you doing?" he asked her one day when she had Nessarose in her left arm. On her right, she had converted a small crate as a table for the Grimmerie and she flipped the book with her right hand, placing her fingers on each new page that she turned to.

"I'm looking for something," she said, her eyes not leaving the book.

"What are you looking for? Put Nessarose _and_ the book down and come to me," he tried to command her. Nessarose whimpered in her sleep at that moment and Elphaba put the book aside and hummed a song to her again.

"She wants me to be around," she told him as she stroke Nessarose's hair.

"You're cold, and you are tired. You need to rest," he told her.

"I'm fine."

"You're not. You have not been sleeping well. Don't think I did not notice that. "

She finally looked at him.

"Fiyero, what if there is a solution in these pages? What if there is something that can banish Nessa's nightmares?"

Fiyero did not understand. She was expecting a spell for sweet dreams to be found in a book that contained powerful spells like the spell that could grow wings ?

"Nessa needs me, Fiyero. I can't fail her," she continued. He heard the word _again_ even though she did not say it loud. She had told him a few days earlier that a healing spell could only heal physical injuries and Nessa's nightmares were more than that. It was in her mind, and she could not heal that. And he heard the unspoken guilt in her voice. That she was unable to get rid of the nightmares that was plaguing her sister no matter how powerful she was.

Just then, Galinda came in and announced that they were stopping for the day.

Fiyero went down, and helped Pip as he tied the horse to the nearest tree that they could find.

"She's stubborn, isn't she," Pip asked, slightly amused.

Fiyero shrugged, and changed the topic. "I'll take the first shift." Pip nodded his thanks and climbed into the wagon to sleep.

Fiyero spent the next four hours moving around so that he could keep warm and awake. He peeped into the wagon and saw Elphaba as she stretched her right arm and then continued to look at the book. He leaned against the tree, fingering a corner of the green cape absentmindedly as he planned out their route for the next day. He estimated that they would reach Kiamo Ko in less than five days. He hoped that the weather would not turn bad before then. When he next peeped into the wagon, Elphaba was leaning against the wall of the wagon, her eyes closed.

When his shift was over, the prince climbed into the back of wagon and woke up his friend, who was sleeping next to Galinda. Pip rubbed his eyes and stood up without a word. He clapped Fiyero's shoulders before he moved out of the wagon and took the next shift.

Fiyero looked at Elphaba. Nessarose was still leaning against her sister, but she was sleeping soundly. Fiyero moved to Nessarose and gently eased her onto the floor. He then moved the book and the crate away. He leaned against the wall of the wagon and shifted Elphaba body to rest on him. The green girl was so tired that she did not even stir. He smiled to himself. Oh yes, she would definitely blew her top when she woke up, but he would worry about that later. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, his wife in his arms.

He dreamt that they were in a clearing and Elphaba was asleep in his arms. There was a fire in front of them, and Fiyero felt warm for the first time in many days. She had let her hair down, and he run his fingers through her silky tresses, enjoying the moment. Suddenly, Elphaba opened her eyes and asked, "Fiyero, what if I am the one giving off the heat?"

He opened his eyes. There was no fire burning in front of him, but the heat was still there. Elphaba was running a fever.

They tried to keep her as warm as possible, but Elphaba's fever did not break. She slept most of the time, stirring occasionally. When she was awake, she was tired, and hardly took in any food. Fiyero could not tell if her fatigue was due to the journey or exhaustion from the string of spells that she had casted recently. Galinda was unable to provide much information. To make things worse, there was no medication on hand to administer. Fiyero wanted to wipe her down, but the water supply that they had was cold, and they had no fire to warm up the water. He noticed that the baby in her stomach was still moving, and that provided slight relief. Galinda took over the caring of Nessarose, singing some out-of-tune songs that scared all the living creatures away from them, although Nessa did not seem to mind.

As Fiyero looked at her sleeping form in his arms, he was reminded once again of the story that his nanny had told him when he was young. The story of the hunter and the faery in the forest. He had forgotten the ending before, but now it came back to him. The faery had previously spurned the advances of a wizard, and the wizard was furious when he found out that she was in love with a mere mortal. One day, when the hunter was out hunting, the wizard turned himself into the likeness of the hunter and pretended to have fallen into the water. The faery panicked at seeing her lover struggling in the water, and she jumped in to save him. When she reached him, the wizard turned back into himself and tried to drown the faery. The hunter came back, and fought off the wizard. He carried the faery to shore, but she had taken in too much water and died in his arms, leaving him with nothing but grief from his loss.

Fiyero hugged a sleeping Elphaba tightly, wishing fervently that his recollection was not a sign of things to come.

It was four days later when they saw the fortress that was Kiamo Ko rose in front of them. To Fiyero, it was a most welcome sight. Kiamo Ko meant that they would be safe, and there would be rest for them and medical attention for Elphaba.

As they approached the fortress, Fiyero could see the whole tribe nearby, all settled down and ready for the harsh winter. He suddenly felt an ache in his heart. He did not realise until then that he had missed home so much.

There were guards stationed around the perimeter of the fortress, and one of them approached Pip who was guiding the horse.

"You are entering the grounds of Kiamo Ko, the fortress of the Arjiki tribe and headquarters of the royal Arjiki family. Declare your names and nature of business."

That was strange, Fiyero thought, for this was never done before.

He quickly went down from the wagon and approached the guard.

"Prince Fiyero Tiggular returning home with his friends. Now report your name," he barked, asserting his authority as the prince of the fortress.

The guard balked but stayed firm. Just then, he heard a shout from behind the guard and looked behind him. Running towards him, with his hands waving in the air, was Marman.

"Your Highness!" he shouted.

The guard looked back at Marman.

"Sir?" he asked.

Marman reached them. "This is really Prince Fiyero. Go back and inform Their Majesties!" The guard ran off.

"Your Highness! I am so glad to see you. We got the message from Drue and sent someone over but Emerald City had been overrun by then and …."

"Emerald City overrun?" Fiyero was shocked.

"Yes, some resistance movement. They stormed into the castle and captured the Wizard and simply took over the City."

Fiyero was interested to hear more. He wondered if this was the distraction that Elphaba was referring to but he knew his priorities. He told Marman about the occupants in the wagon, not neglecting to tell the trusted servant about Nessarose and Elphaba.

Marman waved another guard over and shouted some orders. He then personally guided the horse and wagon.

The King and Queen were there when they entered the fortress.

"My son!" Queen Baxiana rushed forward and hugged her son. She released him and looked at his face, noting the recovering injuries and the blue-black bruises that were now greyish.

"The Gale Force beat you up, didn't they?" she asked.

He nodded, but told his mother that he was fine now. "Elphaba, Pip and Galinda went to rescue us."

"Now where is Elphaba?" the Queen asked, looking behind him.

Fiyero quickly went up the wagon and woke her up.

"Elphaba," he called her. "We're here. We've reached Kiamo Ko." She opened her eyes, her eyes glazed.

"We're safe," she mumbled as she tried to sit up. Fiyero supported her to the back of the wagon, and he lifted her off, carrying her in his arms. There was a slight breeze, and the cape that he had forgotten to take off billowed in the wind. The King shook his head at the unintended theatrics.

"She's feverish," he told his mother. "Marman had called for a doctor."

Pip and Galinda lifted Nessarose out of the wagon.

Fiyero brought her to his bedroom while Marman made arrangements for the nearby guest rooms to be ready. The doctor came, and after some preliminary checks, he could only deduce that the princess had caught a cold and gave her an injection to bring down the fever.

Fiyero took a bath, enjoying the luxury of a warm water bath set up by the servants. When he came out, there was a servant waiting for him, with a message from the King and Queen asking him to join them in the King's study. He left instructions for Elphaba to be left undisturbed and joined Pip in the corridor before they walked to the King's study room. Galinda declined the invitation, saying that she wanted to write a letter to Momsie and Popsicle instead. Fiyero gave instructions to the servants for her wishes to be carried out.

When they reached the study room, the Arjiki King and Queen were there, with Marman, who had brought in hot soup and bread for them. The famished boys helped themselves to the food, their first warm food in weeks and they gave a brief recap to Fiyero's parents. They, in turn, were brought up to speed about the political situation.

The Resistance caught the Gale Force off guard when they sneaked into the Palace through a rarely used corridor. They captured the Wizard and announced to the residents of Emerald City that the Wizard's reign was over and they would set up a new government. While the Gale Force was still loyal to the Wizard, many of the soldiers were actually unhappy with their jobs, and changed sides easily.

Malky, who had disappeared, turned up at Deliadora's place. Infection had set in on his leg by then, and Deliadora had no choice but to amputate that leg. The three continued to stay in Drue's place in town as the small town was not really affected by the regime change.

"There were still riots and looting in the Emerald City. The troops were trying to restore as much order as possible. The Resistance, or rather, the new government, had mentioned that they would remove some of the unpopular laws such as the Animal Banns and the high tax rates," the King told them.

"Westerlot is still there. The poor man is frightened. First, Elphaba stormed into his residence and now he has to deal with people whom he calls terrorists. I simply have to remind him that it is the new government. Just like what happened when the Wizard took over many years ago, just less peaceful. I am fine so long as they leave Vinkus alone," the Queen added.

Fiyero chuckled at the part about Elphaba scaring Westerlot.

"Well," the King said. "I supposed it is good that you managed to get out. I doubt that it will be easy to get you out of Southstairs in this situation. Although I cannot say that I am happy with how things happened. We were supposed to be warned about the political situation and yet we were not aware of this uprising."

Fiyero thought for a while.

"I don't think they ever intend for us to go to Southstairs. From what I have gathered, we are just pawns to bait her to go to the Wizard."

"Do you really think that she is powerful enough to make wings grow on monkeys?" the King asked.

Fiyero looked at Pip, who looked back at him.

"I've no doubt about that, Father."

Fiyero went back to his room after the meeting. The Gale Force had hunted them because of the Wizard. With the Wizard overthrown, the King was very confident that they would be fugitives no more. The thought put a spring into his footsteps as he walked along the corridors of the castle. As much as he liked Vinkus, he did not enjoy the thought of hiding in Kiamo Ko, or the other castle for that matter, for the rest of his life.

He opened the door to his bedroom, and was surprised by how much darker the room was since he had left an hour ago. It was only late afternoon, but the sun set early in the winter day. None of the servants had come in to light a lamp, and the room was shrouded in shadows. He approached the bed.

It was empty.

"Elphaba?" he called out. And then he heard it, a soft moan, laced with pain, coming from the side of the bed. He moved to the side of the bed. There, hidden among the shadows, a thin figure crouched against the bed, her legs tucked underneath her. Her face was hidden by the veil of black hair, and Fiyero was unable to see her expression. One hand gripped the bedsheet, while the other hand was placed at the bottom of her tummy, clutching the hem of her skirt that was pulled up to her thigh. It was only then that Fiyero smelled the faint metallic and sweet smell in the air. He pulled her hand away, and felt the blood on her hand.

Blood and something else.

He shouted for help.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

It was too early. That was all Fiyero could think.

He paced outside his room. His parents, Galinda and Pip rushed to his room the moment they heard his shouts. Someone rushed off to call for a midwife.

Fiyero wanted to stay in the room but was chased out of the room by one of the maids, telling him that it was bad luck for the husband to be around when the wife was in labour.

Galinda was allowed to go in.

And so he stayed outside the room, where he paced, and paced, and paced.

The midwife came, an elderly woman with arthritic fingers and long white hair. Her assistant was next to her, supporting the frail woman under her elbow. She told Fiyero that she had delivered him many years ago. That did not relieve his fears.

The midwife went in, and came out soon after, warning them that it would take a long time.

"The baby is breeched." The word meant nothing to Fiyero, and the Queen had to explain what it meant.

"I'll have to turn the baby around," the midwife told them.

"How?"

She made a gesture with her hands while she tried to describe the process in a few words. Fiyero paled.

Marman asked the servants to place some couches outside the corridor, and the kitchen to prepare some refreshments. Fiyero sat down, the Queen on one side, and Pip on the other. The King went back to work, there was still much preparation to do to ensure that the tribe would be ready for the upcoming winter, but reminded his wife to update him when there was any news.

"Giving birth is a long process, Yero," the Queen told her son as she patted him on his arm. "I was in labour for more than one day before I gave birth to you."

"Elphaba was already weak and she was running a fever, Mother," he reminded his mother as he stood up and started to pace again. His mother looked at him, slightly amused, and decided not to tease him about wearing the floor out.

Night fell, and even Galinda came out.

"They chased me out. They said that it is going to be bloody," she said the moment she got out of the room, as if it had not been bloody before.

"How is Elphaba?"

"She's exhausted, Fiyero," Galinda said. "But she told me to tell you not to worry."

"I'm going to visit Nessa," she added. "Elphie wanted me to take care of her." With that, she went to the guest room a few doors down, where another group of servants were with Nessarose, tending to her wellbeing.

Dinner was served outside the room, and Marman joined them. But Fiyero had no appetite and picked at his food.

"You will need the energy to handle a crying baby, Your Highness," Marman tried to cheer him up.

Galinda joined them later and updated them on Nessarose, who cheered up when Galinda told her that the baby was on the way.

"The stable environment seems to do her good. One of the maids told me that she managed to sleep through just now during her nap," she added. And then she informed them that she had sent off a message to Pip's parents in Gillikin and to Nessarose's father in Munkinland.

The King joined them for supper, and then both he and the Queen retired to their room for the night, but not before telling Fiyero to update them once there was any news. Marman did the same.

Galinda declared that she would be spending the night in Nessarose's room so that she could comfort the girl if she woke up in the middle of the night and found herself in a strange environment. Fiyero thanked her for her thoughtfulness.

Fiyero and Pip brought out pillows and blankets and tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible. But Fiyero was unable to sleep, his eyes opening whenever he heard anyone going in or out of the room. He asked some of them for updates sometimes, and they could only tell him that the baby was on the way.

He was about to fall asleep when dawn comes, when he heard a baby's wails, which woke him up. He sat up immediately and looked at Pip, who was soundly asleep in the next couch. He strained his ear again, but did not hear any more cries, and he wondered if he was dreaming.

He looked at the door. There was no sound from inside.

Was he dreaming?

He tried to sleep again, but the thought that the door could open any moment kept him awake. So he stood up. And paced again.

The door opened half an hour later and the midwife came out, her dress stained with blood. Behind her was her assistant, carrying a little bundle wrapped in a towel with the royal insignia.

Fiyero walked over quickly.

"A prince, Your Highness," the midwife said as she stood aside to let Fiyero look at the newborn. The baby had reddish fair skin, startling blue eyes and thick black hair. Just like the baby that he had dreamt of.

"He's beautiful," he said to no one in particular as he stroked the baby's cheek.

"He is, Your Highness," the midwife said.

He looked up at the midwife. He could not wait to see Elphaba's expression when she saw how beautiful their baby boy was.

"Can I go in now?" he asked.

The midwife looked down slightly.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the Princess .. she was too weak, and she had lost too much blood…."

Fiyero did not hear the rest of her words.

**A/N **

**BookWorm741, the part inspired by your review was when Fiyero moved Nessa and shifted Elphaba to sleep in his arms (naughty of him).**

**The bedtime story of the hunter and the faery was actually mentioned in chapter 8 (when Elphaba went to the Emerald City for the first time).**

**Next, I will be posting a one shot which is a spin off from Chapter 13 of this fic (a AU of a AU LOL). It is about what happen if Elphaba had run away from Shiz when she found out that she was pregnant. I will try to post the final chapter of Changing Fate before I go on my holidays in June.**

**Please review! Or threaten, if that's what you prefer :P**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 26**

**A/N Epilogue!**

**Thank you very much for all the reviews =)**

**Fae the Queen, really! Go ask Fiyero :P BTW, this fic was drafted in 2012. Back then, nobody kills Elphie. :P**

**Maddy-Fae, LOL, cheese with holes is natural. So are brains with holes, cos mine is, too (especially when it comes to work related stuff) :P Am I so glad that you have no idea where I live. :=)**

**BookWorm741, AN for you in the end.**

**JCBoLt, I hope your shift and caps lock key JAMMED big time :P LOL**

**ElphabasKillyjoy124, she was supposed to give birth in winter and as at chapter 26 (25 part 2) it was beginning of winter, so I would say between 1 to 2 months. And babies born one month+ usually do not need much modern medical intervention (which Oz does not have), I knew this for a fact =)**

**GinervaMarieChaseEverdeen, AN for you in the end.**

**Failey, LOL, you did not creep in in the middle of the story, it's the end of the story! :P :P :P. Same message for Maddy-Fae, thank goodness you have no idea where I live. =)**

**LittleMissDelirious, so what did you enter for your security code? Elphie did not want to be Grand Vizer cos it's a choice (yeah, as if she cannot live without him). Moreover, she had promised Fiyero's father about not contacting the Wizard and Elphie is someone who keeps her promise. Its interesting how you kids (Ok, students) will drop the internet close to exams period. I NEVER could do that (not when I was studying, not when I am rushing for work related projects). I am SO ADDICTED. I think they called him Frex the Godly because he is working for God, not because he is (like) God (that would be Shell). The passcode will be used again in another fic (the one that Elphie gets to rule Oz HAHAHHAH). At the rate that I am going, maybe I will post that fic in 2015 :P Thank goodness I reread your review for chapter 25, when I first read I thought you meant cliché :P Chillin like villains? What gave you that idea? And yes, I totally agree with you. 4 children are good, adoption is good (though I only have 1) =)**

**And thank you for the recent new alerts and favourites! =)**

**And (gosh, this AN is so long)…. Thank you Broadway calls, Elphaba-WWW, ExoticPeachBlossom and Almost An Actress for reviewing Every Single Thing (Reunion).**

**Broadway calls, thank you for that wow review! =) I'm glad you like that oneshot =)**

**Elphaba-WWW, yes, I fully subscribe to the theory that every single time we make a different (big) decision, the world is split into another universe =) so that's just another AU :P**

**ExoticPeachBlossom, oh my goodness, here's a tissue.. I am so touched with you review (coming from the Queen of Angst (OK, Hurt and Comfort :P) no less)**

**Almost an actress , thank you! It means a lot to me cos its my first hurt and comfort fic.**

**MissLittleDelirious, Liir was not mistreated. Elphie just went through tough times. When I read the book, I always wonder where she gets the money to get food etc since she does not work and I don't suppose the Resistance pays her a salary. **

It was late. Everyone in the castle had fallen asleep. There was a celebration earlier on, the official ceremony to announce the first grandchild, the first grandson, of the Arjiki King and Queen. The announcement of a royal offspring was usually done when the baby was one month old, but this celebration was pushed back until one year later due to obvious reasons.

Many guests were invited for the celebration. Pip had declined, as it was still school term in Gillikin University. Galinda was unable to make it too for she had transferred to Gillikin University to be with Pip. They promised that they would come for a visit during the summer, though Fiyero had a nagging suspicion that come summer, he would have to make a trip to Gillikin to attend their engagement party, as Pip had written and said that he intended to propose to Galinda during the upcoming Lurlinemas.

Doctor Dillamond was invited too. The professor might be a natural in front of a class of students, but he was tongue tied in a social function like this. After a while, he moved to a corner, where he stood next to the three-legged Cat named Malky and a Chicken named Carl. The three Animals stood together, not saying a word, yet perfectly at ease with one another.

Madame Morrible went into hiding the moment she heard that the Wizard was overthrown. The new government went through the papers and documents found in the Wizard's study and put out a warrant for her arrest. She was soon captured and put on trial on several charges, which included destruction of scientific research papers on the similarities between Animals and humans, and the plots to destroy Animal villages in Oz, and was sentenced to a life sentence in Southstairs.

Boq and Milla got close after he supported her emotionally in the weeks that followed the regime change when there was chaos in Shiz and no one knew what to do. The two started dating recently and Boq admitted that he had never been happier. Nessarose went back to Shiz University when she recovered, accompanied by the ancient but ever watchful Nanny, and too, was caught up with her studies. Frexspar came, eager to see his grandson again. But he, too, was busy, and could only stay for two days, and would be leaving the next morning after breakfast.

The celebration had ended long ago, and Liir, the Little Prince (as everyone had called the latest addition to the royal family) had been sent to bed even way before that. Fiyero stayed back with his father to bid farewell to all the guests and one of the members in the Vinkun council pulled him aside, asking him for some advice on new government in the Emerald City. That was joined by another member, and then another, and then his father and even Frexspar joined in, and they ended up having a mini political discussion there and then on the changes that the new government had made for the past year.

When the group disbanded, King Marillot had another conversation with Fiyero, asking for his opinion on the discussion that had just ended. He had been getting Fiyero involved in the tribal matters since the birth of Liir, in view that he was going to take over one of these days, and Fiyero had been learning the ropes. There were even plans for him to go to Emerald City and Gillikin for business when spring came.

Fiyero walked up the staircase alone. It might be late, but his brain was still active after a night filled with conversations and activities. He entered his bedroom, and quietly changed out of his clothes and into a pair of loose, white trousers before he washed his face with the freezing cold water that was in the basin.

He walked past the door that led to Liir's bedroom and stepped in.

It was full moon and the moonlight shone into the room. Fiyero could see everything clearly. He walked to the baby cot and looked at his son. Liir Marillot Tiggular, named after the first Tiggular who ruled the Arjiki tribe. He was now one year old, and his eyes remained as blue as the day when he was born, azure blue eyes that looked exactly like Fiyero's. Liir slept peacefully in his cot, a thumb in his mouth. Fiyero smiled, and pulled the thumb away before he stroke the full black hair of his son.

As he looked at his son, his mind went back to exactly one year ago, when dawn broke.

The words of the midwife.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the Princess .. she was too weak, and she had lost too much blood…."

He had not heard the rest of her words. He just pushed her aside and stumbled into the room. Two servants were still there, tidying up the place and picking up the mess. He saw a few towels on the floor, soaked full of blood, and wondered how could someone have so much blood in the first place, let alone losing so much blood. The servants saw him and stopped what they were doing. They had no words for him, for they did not know how to console a prince who had just lost his wife. They picked up the blood-soaked towels and left the room quietly.

Fiyero went to the bed. Elphaba was lying there peacefully. Her face was greyish-green, and there was a layer of sweat on her, evidence of how much she had laboured to give birth. Her hair, too, was wet, raven black hair that fanned across the pillow and glistered under the light. She looked so at ease, and for a moment, he wondered if she was just sleeping.

He touched her gently. She was still warm to the touch.

"Elphaba," he whispered her name, pushing a strand of hair off her face. "Have you seen the baby?"

There was no answer.

"He's a boy," he continued, gently caressing her face. "A beautiful baby. He has my eyes and your hair. I always love your hair. He is perfect, Elphaba. Just like you."

He looked at his wife and held her hand in his, and kissed her knuckles.

"You know, we have never discussed this, but have you ever thought of a name for our baby? I don't really know much about names, but I would like his middle name to be Marillot, after my father. But I have no idea what should his first name be. I'm sure you have something in mind. Something that would sound nice and meaningful before Marillot Tiggular….. "

And that was when he could not contain himself any longer and the tears started to flow. He was brought up with the teachings of an Arjiki warrior, and the son of one. And Arjiki warriors were not supposed to cry. He bit his lower lip but let the tears flowed. Quietly, he climbed onto the bed and kissed her gently on her lips before he buried his face at the crook of her neck. He let the tears fell on her skin and soaked through her dress. He might be an Arjiki warrior next time, but at the moment he was a man who had lost his wife, the love of his life and his soul mate. Fiyero closed his eyes, his arms still around Elphaba, and tried to memorise the way she felt in his arms, because he knew that he would never have the chance to hold her again.

A little gurgle broke into his thoughts. He looked down on his son and wondered what sweet dreams he was having. The little prince laughed again in his sleep, most probably reliving the celebration when he was passed from person to person and tossed into the air countless times, squealing "More! More!" every single time.

Fiyero smiled as he touched his son for one more time before he went back to his room.

He climbed onto his bed and lay on his side, facing the figure that was sleeping on his bed. Her shoulder length hair curled around her jaw, framing her features, making her looked even thinner than she actually was. The blanket was pulled up to her shoulders. She slept peacefully, her face showing no trace of worry. His second chance at happiness.

"I love you," he whispered.

He saw the smile formed on her lips before she opened her eyes. He was not surprised that she had heard it; she was always such a light sleeper. Her dark brown eyes looked back at him, wide awake, showing no surprise that he had said those words. Showing such tenderness that his breath hitch.

"I love you too," she told him as she reached out her hand. And the smile turned into a frown when she touched the wetness on his cheek.

He had not realised that he had been weeping.

"I was just thinking of…."

She stopped him by placing her hand over his lips.

"I'm here, ain't I?" Elphaba whispered.

They had told him later that the midwife must have been so fatigued that she was unable to detect the weak pulse underlying her skin and shallowest of breaths that would have indicated that Elphaba was not dead. But Fiyero had, when his eyes were closed, felt a slight rising of her chest against his arm, and had run out of the room shouting for a doctor in such a loud voice that even the tribesmen who camped outside the fortress had heard his voice.

The road to recovery was long. The moment she was able to speak, Elphaba asked the servants to cut her hair short so that it would be easier for the servants who took care of her. Fiyero protested of course, but she was adamant, insisting on putting her physical look at the lowest priority. Her stubbornness reared its ugly head again (Fiyero's words, not hers) when she insisted on getting out of bed despite the doctor's instructions and claimed that she was well enough to take care of Liir. Fiyero had his hands full during those few months, with a colicky baby and an unreasonable wife (his words again) who refused to take good care of herself.

The doctor gave her a clean bill of health when summer came. To celebrate, Fiyero decided to bring her to see the sunrise over Kiamo Ko. He woke her up pre-dawn and bundled her with several layers of clothing before he put her on a horse and rode to a hill not far from the fortress. A canopy had been set up the day before. From their vantage point, Elphaba was able to see Kiamo Ko and its surroundings. They sat on a rug and Fiyero hugged her from behind, his chin on her shoulder, as they watched the sun rose behind Kiamo Ko. The morning sunlight hit the stone walls and windows of Kiamo Ko, and formed a silver shimmering glow around the fortress. The sun shone its golden rays over the land that was Vinkus, and the light seemed to set the green grasslands and sandy hills ablaze. It looked as if there was a pair of dragons, one green and one brown, that had nestled themselves around the magical stronghold, protecting the Arjiki people even when they were asleep.

She tilted her head and looked at him.

"It's beautiful."

Fiyero kissed her and made a little confession.

"Everyday, when the sun rises and I wake up and see you beside me, I will thank the gods for the kindness that they have shown me. For giving you back to me because they know that I cannot live without you."

And Elphaba had rolled her eyes at his cheesiness.

Fiyero thanked the gods again as he looked at his wife lying on their bed, safe, beside him. He took her upheld hand and pressed her fingers against his lips before he pulled her to him and held her tightly.

"Elphaba?" he asked after a while.

She pulled apart from him. "Yes?"

"Remember when you were pregnant and in doubt, and I told you to give me one year? That I will let you go if you still think that I am not good enough by then?"

She nodded her head.

"I know that I am not the perfect father. I don't know Liir's likes and dislikes. I cannot remember the names of most of his toys. I can't change his clothes without turning the room upside down and I can never put him to bed. I can't sing most of the songs that he wants me to sing. I brought him to the tallest tower in Kiamo Ko when he was colicky because I wanted to throw him out of the window. But I love him, and I love you. So will you stay?"

Elphaba chuckled and shook her head.

"Is that a no?" Fiyero asked, sounding slightly panicky.

Elphaba shook her head again. She kissed him lightly on his lips and told him matter-of-factly. "You're right. You are not good enough, Yero."

She propped herself up with her elbow and looked at him intently.

"But I remember that night, when you came down from the tower. You passed him back to me and you told me that you could not handle him anymore. But when he cried the next night, you took over again, and instead of going up to the tower again, you walked down the stairs and spent the whole night walking along the hallways and singing to him."

She shifted so that she hovered over him and kissed him on the mouth, a kiss brimming with intentions.

"I suppose…..that I'll have to extend your probation."

Fiyero could not stop the grin from appearing on his face. He placed his hand on her hips and slowly pulled her nightgown up and over her head until the fabric rested across his chest, her hands on both sides of his body. His eyes locked with hers, noting the slight mischief in her eyes.

"Extend my probation?" he asked as she pulled herself free of the dress.

"Isn't this what you want?" she asked with a slight upturn of her lips.

Fiyero had no idea if she was referring to her subtle answer to his question, or to what she was offering, but he had his answer.

"It's what _we_ want," he corrected her as he pulled her down to him.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She had no idea how much time had passed when she woke up. The sky was still dark, but she got a feeling that dawn was not far off. She did not know what had woken her, but she sensed that something was different. She turned and looked at the sleeping figure next to her. Her Fiyero. He was sleeping soundly, his mouth slight opened, his long eyelashes brushing against his cheeks. Elphaba brushed a finger against his cheek, unable to help herself. He was so good looking even in his sleep. She gently removed his hand that was resting on her stomach. He stirred and mumbled something, and then continued to sleep.

She got out of the bed, and contemplated looking for her night gown, but it was most probably under Fiyero and she did not want to wake him up. She walked soundlessly across the room, stopping only to pick up the sleeping robe that was draped over a chair and put it on, covering up her naked body, and secured it by tying a knot with the sash.

She moved to the connecting door and pushed it open. The moon had moved, and the room was almost in total darkness. Elphaha let her eyes accustomed themselves to the dark before she continued to move. Liir was asleep in his cot, safe. Not that she had felt that he was in any danger. She looked around, and then moved to a nearby chest of drawers.

She usually kept the top of the drawers clear, but as she approached it, she saw that there was a book. A thick ancient looking leather-bound book that was opened somewhere to the middle. The last time she saw this book was about two weeks ago, when she had wrapped it in a black Vinkun silk scarf imprinted with red roses and had put it into a box and kept it under lock and key. She placed a hand on the paper. She had read the Grimmerie a few times in the past year, and had found that it was easier to establish a connection the more she tried. The room should not have enough light to allow her to see the page clearly, but it seemed that the page itself glowed dimly; giving her just enough light to see the words that slowly appeared in front of her eyes.

The words appeared easily, floating at a depth within the page. It was as if the book had accepted her as an equal and no longer needed to test her. She felt the music of the book slid against her skin, a soft reprimanding tone as it chided her for leaving it in a dark, musty cupboard. She looked at the words and smiled at the message. She understood the book much better now. She spoke the words required, pushing herself through the slight resistance that was nature itself, and felt the magic rose from the book, twirled itself in the air, and then sunk back into the book. The book shimmered, and then closed itself silently (as if it knew that it should not slam its cover with a bang and woke up the little prince) and transformed. It became a smaller book, still leather bound, but with a more modern finishing. The shimmering disappeared.

Elphaba smiled to herself. She would deal with the book again when morning came.

She made her way back to her bed and climbed in.

"Where did you go?" Fiyero mumbled with his eyes still closed when she sank her body into the soft mattress.

"I was just checking on Liir. Now go back and sleep," she told him.

"Mmmmm," he said, and then snuggled closer to her and draped an arm around her waist. She turned to him, placed a hand on his chest and fell asleep.

The royal family and Frex had breakfast together the next day. Frex left after that, but not before making arrangements for Fiyero, Elphaba and Liir to visit Munchkinland during the school holidays, when Nessarose would be home. They went back to their room so that Liir could take his morning nap. He fell asleep easily, and his nanny sat in a nearby chair, watching over him.

Fiyero and Elphaba left the room, a book in her hand, their fingers interlaced.

They made their way to the royal library, a long and winding walk along the cold stone walls of the fortress. The walls were empty, except for an occasional tapestry woven by the womenfolk during the previous winters and the rings to hold the lamps. Fiyero looked at Elphaba, at the way her shoulder length hair brushed against the simple dark blue dress that she wore. The dress was similar to what she wore when she was in Shiz, but made of a richer and thicker fabric. The heavy fabric swished around her ankles, making it looked like she was gliding instead of walking. The Arjiki had loved their new princess, loved her humble ways, her down to earth dressing and attitude, even at her emerald skin that reminded them of the Thousand Year Grassland. As a matter of fact, they seemed to like her more than they liked him, but Fiyero did not mind at all. Elphaba needed all the love that she needed. He stopped walking, pulled her to him and kissed her deeply.

"What's that for?" she asked, her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what mischief he was up to.

"Do I need a reason to kiss my wife?" he asked her with a grin.

When they reached the library, it was empty, except for a Bear who was shelving some books using both paws. Fiyero wandered off as Elphaba approached the Bear.

"Good morning, Nimble," Elphaba called out to the Bear. The same Nimble whom they had rescued from the Emerald City during the days of the Animal Banns. Vinkus did not have that many bookstores, so Nimble had come to work in the royal library instead. The Animal Banns had been lifted in the Emerald City, but Nimble had grown to love Vinkus too much to leave.

"Good morning, Miss Elphaba," the Bear replied, having learnt long ago not to call her Princess Elphaba, but just could not get used to addressing her without a honorific. "What can I do for you today?"

She lifted the book in her hand.

"I have a new book, Nimble. Can you shelf it for me?" She passed the book to the Bear.

As with all books, Nimble held the book gently with both paws, treating it like a delicate treasure.

"Happily Ever After." He read the title on its cover. "That's an interesting title. Do you believe in happily ever after, Miss Elphaba?"

Elphaba looked behind her. Fiyero was in front of a bookshelf, his lips moving as he read the title of every book that his finger traced, trying (unsuccessfully) to find a book that would interest him. He had a string of titles that the Vinkuns gave him behind his name, but to her, he was the father of her child, her husband, lover and friend. Someone whose love for her was so strong that, according to the latest Vinkun legend, he was able to call her back from the realm beyond the living. He lifted his head and looked at her, as if he could sense her looking at him, and gave her a boyish smile. Elphaba could not help but smiled back.

She turned back to face Nimble, the smile still on her face.

"I do, Nimble, I really do."

**~~~ The End ~~~**

**~~~ Changing Fate , a Wicked fanfiction ~~~**

**~~~ draft copy : 7****th**** August 2012 – 11****th**** November 2012 ~~~**

**~~~ published : 17****th**** November 2012 – 25****th**** May 2013 ~~~**

**A/N **

**BookWorm741, now how long did you chant that musical-death-not-book-death spell for it to work? :P**

**GinervaMarieChaseEverdeen,happy birthday! I hope this chapter is good birthday present for you! =)**

**FYI, Gregory did contribute a story to a collection of stories published under the title Happily Ever After**

**Colic is definitely no fun. I remember my daughter would arc her back and cry (for no reason) non- stop the moment the sun set till past midnight. Every night for at least 2 months. **

**This is the last chapter, folks. Reviews are still welcomed (and loved) =)**

**For those that who have not read my latest oneshot, it is an AU of Changing Fate. To find it, you can click on my name and look for Every Single Thing (Reunion)**

**I still have not decided which idea to work on for my next fic, so I will most probably work on a few concurrently and then see which of them will be completed first (unless I start posting before I finish my draft). So I will most probably not published my next multi-chapter till year end, but I will still be reading and reviewing =)**


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